ARMENIA’S POSITION CONCERNING NKR STATUS RECOGNITION UNCHANGED

PanARMENIAN.Net –
April 6, 2010 – 14:10 AMT 09:10 GMT

EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy
Stefan Fuele said that the European Union is ready to facilitate
the process of the Armenian-Turkish protocols ratification without
any preconditions. The EU is ready to contribute to the development
of frontier regions, as soon as the Protocols are signed and come
into force, Stefan Fuele said during a joint press conference with
RA Foreign Affairs Minister Edward Nalbandian. At the same time,
he highly appreciated the activity and courage of the Armenian
President who agreed to establish a dialogue with Turkey. According
to Fuele, the restoration of the Armenian-Turkish relations may have
a positive impact also on the process of Turkey’s membership in the
European family.

Referring to the process of the NKR conflict settlement, Fuele said
that the EU not only supports the OSCE Minsk Group activity, but also
is ready to develop certain programs for restoration of trust both
in Nagorno Karabakh and in the region.

Armenia’s Foreign Affairs Minister said in his turn that Armenia’s
position concerning the NKR status recognition has not changed. "Both
Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs understand that the Karabakh
people’s right to self-determination is the main issue in the Karabakh
conflict settlement," said Nalbandyan, commenting on possible change
in the country’s position towards the NKR status recognition.

According to Mr. Nalbandian, within this context, the Armenian
President’s statement that it will be possible to resolve the
conflict during a couple of hours, if Azerbaijan recognizes the NKR
independence, implies right this. "If this main issue is resolved,
it will be much easier to discuss the others," noted Nalbandian.