HAYK YOUTH AND STUDENT UNION CALLS ON NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF ARMENIA TO IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC
Noyan Tapan
Nov 27, 2009
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. On November 27, Hayk Youth
and Student Union of Heritage Party issued a statement, which in
particular reads:
"The Azerbaijani leadership’s belligerent rhetoric and threats to
resume the war have become more frequent recently. On the eve of
the November 22 Munich meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents, Ilham Aliyev stated that in case the meeting fails again
to produce progress in the Karabakh settlement this time, Azerbaijan
will resort to settling the conflict by military means. On November
25, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said that Azerbaijan
sees no other way of settling the conflict than by military means.
Under these circumstances, we consider it very dangerous that the
serious challenges that the republics of Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia
are facing are ignored, and that those statements are deemed as
propaganda only.
We, the young members of the Heritage party, considering peace as
precious value, and realizing that a war would lead to significant
destruction and loss of lives to the both sides, reject any military
settlement of the conflict, and condemn the Azerbaijani leadership’s
attempts to provoke a war by engaging its own people in a war
hysteria. Nevertheless, we think that the best way to prevent a war
is to be prepared for one. To be ready for a possible resumption of
the war on the Artsakh front, the two Armenian states and societies
should initiate adequate extraordinary actions.
We call on: – The National Assembly to immediately recognize the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic, setting up conditions for recognizing the
NKR by the Armenian government at an appropriate time, as well as
for signing bilateral agreements between the Republic of Armenia and
the NKR in all fields, including the defense and security fields; –
The Armenian cabinet to review the 2010 state budget and, at least,
reinstate defense expenditure of the 2009 budget, as well as increase
significantly the overall size of loans to the NKR;
– The Republic of Armenia and NKR defense ministries: 1. Organize
trainings and exercises among the entire adult population for enhancing
civil defense combat skills; 2. Develop a functional plan for the
government-civil society cooperation in war time and present this
plan to the public;
– The Armenian Foreign Ministry to send an official note to the
Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, that is considered to
be Armenia’s ally and strategic partner in the Collective Security
Treaty Organization, demanding that any military supplies and
cooperation under the 2006 and 2008 agreements between Moscow and
Baku be discontinued immediately".