ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
November 13, 2017 Monday


Sharmazanov to Azerbaijani colleague: To draw parallels between
Karabakh, Kurdish and Catalan processes is illogical and illiterate

Yerevan November 13

Tatevik Shahunyan. To draw parallels between the Karabakh conflict and
the Kurdish and Catalan processes is not only illogical, but also
illiterate. Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov
said in a conversation with ArmInfo correspondent in response to the
statement of his Azerbaijani colleague Bahar Muradova that the
international community should apply identical approaches to all these
three processes, rather than being guided by double standards.

"How it is possible to draw parallels between these processes , these
are three completely different problems: the process of
self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh is exclusively legal and
legitimate, it fully corresponds to the letter and norms of both the
Constitution of the Soviet Union and international law."
Nagorno-Karabakh at one time was self-determined in accordance with
the same legal norms of the Constitution of the USSR as the 15
republics.The Constitution of the USSR gave the right to autonomous
subjects on the basis of a referendum to determine their fate, which
was done. I Azerbaijan casts doubt on the legality of the
self-determination of Artsakh, it means that calls into question the
legitimacy and independence and the independence of other former
Soviet republics, "Sharmazanov explained.

Regarding the dissatisfaction with the activities of OSCE Minsk Group
and the need to change the mediation format, the Armenian vice-speaker
stressed that Azerbaijan is pouring water into the mill of Turkey,
which is trying in every possible way to become a mediator in the
Karabakh settlement. "But this will never happen, Turkey does not have
a place in the OSCE MG format, since this country frankly supports one
of the conflicting parties - Azerbaijan, which casts doubt on its
objectivity as an intermediary, moreover, Ankara is known for its
destabilizing policies in the region. I'm not talking about this,
right after the April war in the zone of the Karabakh conflict,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Turkey voiced calls
not to peace but to war, "he said, stressing that Baku in the current
situation AI should not blame the OSCE Minsk Group, and himself, since
he does not fulfill its obligations, thereby torpedoing the
negotiation process.