POSITIONS OF ARMENIA AND ARTSAKH DIFFERENT
By Arevik Badalian

AZG Armenian Daily
25/11/2008

Karabakh conflict

There is a united viewpoint in Artsakh – "International recognition
of NKR with the supremacy of the national security system"

NKR parliament’s Foreign Relations Commission Chairman Vahram Atanesian
in a press conference announced that his answers do not present the
official position of NKR.

He mentioned that at present there is only one issue on the agenda
of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh – international recognition of
NKR with the supremacy of the national security system within the
borders acceptable to the people of NKR.

The acceptable borders are fixed by NKR constitution, and the liberated
territories are defined as security zone.

NKR parliamentary hearings on international recognition of NKR have
started two years ago and go on until now.

"The second stage of the hearings was held two weeks ago", said
Vahram Atanesian.

Though NKR is not a party to the negotiation process, the NKR MP
excludes the possibility of compulsion of any variant of settlement
by the official Yerevan.

The Moscow declaration, according to Vahram Atanesian, cannot be a
document to predetermine the settlement.

"If an agreement is reached to settle the conflict, NKR signature
will be on that document".

According to Vahram Atanesian, who takes into consideration the
discussions in Armenia on both political and expert levels, there is
not a united viewpoint in Armenia on the settlement of the conflict. In
contrast to it, there is a united viewpoint in Artsakh – international
recognition of NKR with the supremacy of the national security system.

Moreover, the difference of the positions will lead to a "positive"
solution.

To the question of "Azg" daily about the recent announcement of the
OSCE Minsk Group Russian Co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov that the territories
will be retuned in case of proper replacement embracing international
guarantees, Vahram Atanesian underlined that the mediators can comment
on the situation differently, but NKR is not inclined to take the
viewpoint of any mediator or expert as an absolute truth".

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress