NO FINAL SETTLEMENT WILL BE REACHED ON KARABAKH CONFLICT AS NKR DOESN’T PARTICIPATE IN NEGOTIATIONS

"Noravank" Foundation
18 November 2008

All the attempts to settle the Karabakh conflict without
participation of its main party – Nagorno-Karabakh, are not
sufficient. This was announced by the NKR President Bako Sahakyan
in his interview given to "Freedom" radio station while commenting
on Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian declaration on the Karabakh conflict
settlement.

"The fact that the international community, the countries of the
region, mediators try to have influence and bring the issue to its
logical end is of course welcomed. It is the matter of dialogue and the
necessity of this dialogue has been accentuated in our announcements
through all these years.

It goes without saying that any dialogue has positive influence on
the conflict settlement, but we have at the same time mentioned and go
on doing so that the dialogue and all the attempts made by the Minsk
Group and Russia in particular are insufficient without the NKR’s
participation," mentioned the president. To the question what is done
for Karabakh to become a negotiating party, B. Sahalyan announced
that at every meeting, especially with the Minsk Group co-chairmen
"We ask and, why not, claim for them to use their=2 0power and restore
the distorted format, realize the decision of the Budapest summit
according to which the NKR is a full party of negotiations."

B.Sahakyan mentioned that Armenia’s authorities also worked in this
direction. "We welcome the negotiation process in the framework
of the Minsk group, however, the issue will not be settled once
and forever because the NKR doesn’t participate in negotiations,"
mentioned the president. To the question which are the maximum
concessions the NKR is ready to make taking into account the fact
that the Moscow declaration has confirmed that the negotiations are
to be grounded on Madrid principles implying certain concessions,
Sahakyan answered that for the NKR it was important participation in
the negotiation process after which it would be possible to discuss
all the package of suggestions. "We’ve got certain standpoints,
but being deprived of participating in negotiations we can not
produce them…we realize that all the principles are to be first
of all agreed with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic authorities." In
that way Sahakyan reacted on possible disposal of peace-makers in
the Karabkh conflict zone. "As long as we are the conflicting party,
all the answers to such questions are of declarative character."