ACCORDING TO DPA, NKR STATUS SHOULD BE CLARIFIED FIRST OF ALL

Noyan Tapan
July 21, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. No document could be signed at the
last meeting of Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh Sargsyan
and Ilham Aliyev, as the Armenian side just is not empowered to
decide Artsakh’s fate without participation of a representative of
NKR. Aram Sargsian, the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Armenia
(DPA), stated at the July 21 press conference. In his words, one
of the most important achievements of Armenian diplomacy is that
the international community has begun to realize the necessity of
Karabakh’s participation in the negotiations as a side enjoying
full rights. A. Sargsian mentioned RA Foreign Minister’s statement,
according to which NKR should participate in all stages of the
negotiations and not only in the final discussions.

He said that the views of DPA and RA President coincide in the respect
that the NKR status should be clarified first of all, then the other
issues should be solved. Besides, according to A. Sargsian, it would be
realistic to renounce Madrid Principles as otherwise vain negotiations
will continue and Presidents’ meetings will last for nearly 10
years. "Discussions in the current format have no prospect," he said
stressing that the NKR problem will not be solved as far as there is
no well-disposed attitude between the Armenian and Azeri peoples.

A. Sargsian also said that according to his information, during the
Georgian-Ossetian war Azerbaijan had planned to attack upon Armenia
in four directions, but failed to carry out that plan for these or
those reasons.