ARMENIAN MINISTER: KARABAKH SETTLEMENT SHOULD BE BASED ON NATIONAL SELF-DETERMINATION RIGHT

ARKA
Jan 18, 2010

YEREVAN, January 18. /ARKA/. Karabakh settlement should be based on
the national self-determination right, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandyan said on Sunday in an interview with Liberty radio station.

He said that it had been confirmed at the OSCE ministerial meeting
in Athens that Karabakh settlement should be based on the national
self-determination right.

Nalbandyan said that 56 OSCE member countries have confirmed that for
the first time, and Azerbaijan has signed the statement containing
the principle that had never been considered before that.

Azerbaijan has always ignored this principle and was strongly opposed
to its appearance in any document, while "this time it happened,
and not only in 56 OSCE countries’ statement, but also in that of
the ministers of five countries – the United States, Russia, France,
Armenia and Azerbaijan".

Nalbandyan stressed that territorial integrity is absolutely not
connected with Karabakh’s self-determination.

In his opinion, the self-determination process began yet in soviet
epoch, when Azerbaijan was not an independent country.

In 1999 European Parliament stated that Azerbaijan, using its
self-determination right, had declared its independence, just like
Karabakh, Nalbandyan said.

He said that the self-determination is one of the most important
principles of the international law.

"Otherwise we wouldn’t have 192 UN member countries, but have only 51,
as it was when the United Nations was established," he said adding
that this very principle enlarged the number of member countries.

The minister also said that not a single statement containing only
territorial integrity principle without self-determination was made
by OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in the recent period of time.

" Does it correspond with what Azerbaijan insists on? Absolutely no."

Speaking about various comments on Karabakh settlement, the minister
advised everybody not to listen what Azerbaijani side speaks, but
instead to pay attention to the Minsk Group mediators’ statements.

Nalbandyan said that Azerbaijani leadership is trying to predetermine
the results of the talks, i.e. Karabakh’s self-determination and
status.

However, Karabakhi people, and nobody else, will decide the status.

"OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs say the same in their Madrid principles",
the Armenian minister said in his interview. "And it means that
contrary to Baku’s statements, the settlement of Karabakh conflict
is in hands of Karabakhi people."

Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when Karabakh, mainly populated
by Armenians, declared its independence from Azerbaijan.

On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, a referendum was held in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority
of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.

Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result,
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions
adjacent to it.

On May 12, 1994 Bishkek cease-fire agreement, put an end to the
military operations.

Since 1992, talks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being held over
peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired by USA,
Russia and France.