ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSIONS TAKEN PLACE AT THE NKR MFA

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

2009-06-12 17:16

On June 12, Managing Director of REGNUM Novosti (News) Russian Federal
Information Agency, Candidate of Historical Science Modest Kolerov and
Director of Quorum Democratic Processes Monitoring Center Alexei
Kochetkov, who had paid a visit to the Nagorno Karabagh Republic, held
round-table discussions at the NKR MFA, with the participation of
Deputies of the NKR NA, representatives of non-governmental
organizations and the MFA diplomatic corps.

Modest Kolerov dwelled on the ongoing processes in the world, their
impact on the situation in the South Caucasus, and, in particular, on
the Karabagh conflict settlement.

Speaking of the prospects of international recognition of the NKR, he
noted that Russia’s facilities in the diplomatic sphere were limited,
but the majority of the Russian people sympathized with the struggle of
Nagorno Karabagh. He informed that according to the public opinion
survey, about 65% of Russians supported that struggle.

Modest Kolerov also informed that the Russian people shared the opinion
that any ways of the Karabagh conflict settlement must be political and
peaceful.

`Only a miserable amount of people in Russia support the military way
of the issue’s solution’, noted the IA REGNUM Novosti Managing Director.

Modest Kolerov emphasized that he had always decla
red for Nagorno
Karabagh’s participation in the negotiations on the conflict
settlement, which, according him, was also extremely important from
diplomatic technology’s point of view. At the same time, he declared
against speeding-up the conflict settlement process, especially in the
context of connecting the settlement with a range of preconditions, in
particular, with opening the Armenian-Turkish border, which, according
to Mr. Kolerov, is fraught with certain threats.

`All the nations are equal, the fate of each being unique, and a
nation’s fate cannot be exchanged with another’s’, Modest Kolerov noted.

According to him, Nagorno Karabagh is surely an existing state, but it
should intensify its foreign policy, in particular, ensure stable
participation of Nagorno Karabagh’s representatives in international
events on an expert level.

In his turn, Director of Quorum Democratic Processes Monitoring Center
Alexei Kochetkov declared for the necessity of establishing
corresponding relations between Russia and Nagorno Karabagh on public-
and NGO levels. He noted the significant role of the civil society in
the conflict settlement. `The opinion of the civil society is, to a
large extent, more important than that of the ruling Party’, he
emphasized.

At the same time, Alexei Kochetkov noted that the international
community was poorly informed about the Karabagh conflict. According to
him, Az
erbaijan allocates huge amounts for propaganda, but it takes any
step on introducing the NKR to the international community as a threat.

The participants of the round-table discussions expressed their
opinions on the issues raised. Representatives of the NKR NGOs
expressed their readiness to cooperate with their Russian associates.