ACCORDING TO LPA LEADER, REAL FOUNDATION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH SETTLEMENT WAS LAID BY SIGNING OF MOSCOW DECLARATION

Noyan Tapan

Nov 3, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The Declaration signed on November
2 in Moscow by the Presidents of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan is
a series of good wishes. Hovhannes Hovhannisian, the Chairman of
the Liberal Party of Armenia (LPA), expressed such an opinion at
the November 3 press conference adding that thus, an agreement on
non-resumption of operations was achieved.

Besides, according to the observation of the LPA leader, that
Declaration signed on the initiative of Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev means strengthening of Russia’s positions in the Nagorno
Karabakh settlement negotiations.

However, as H. Hovhannisian stated, it is a serious omission for
the Armenian side that there is no signature of the Nagorno Karabakh
representative under the document. "For me, it is also unacceptable
that the readiness of the sides to solve the conflict on the basis
of Madrid principles was established by the Declaration, while RA and
NKR societies are not aware of Madrid principles," the LPA leader said.

H. Hovhannisian said that the Declaration is considerably inferior
to the variant of conflict settlement discussed in 1998, under first
RA President Levon Ter-Petrosian. "The stage-by-stage variant was
discussed 10 years ago, according to which we were to cede 5 regions,"
the speaker said adding that returning all liberated 7 regions to
Azerbaijan is spoken about now.

Besides, according to H. Hovhannisian, the necessity of a common
border of RA and NKR was discussed then, while today, according to
Madrid principles, Armenia and Artsakh are to be connected with each
other by Lachin corridor.

"As to the NKR status, the necessity to hold a people’s survey and
not a referendum on Karabakh was discussed in 1997-1998," the LPA
leader said.

According to him, the only positive side of signing the declaration
is that after freezing the conflict for 10 years running with the
"brilliant efforts" of former RA President Robert Kocharian the
"foundation of the real settlement" of the Nagorno Karabakh problem
was at last laid.