PanARMENIAN.Net - The inalienable right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to self-determination represents a fundamental principle and foundation for the peaceful resolution, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said in his remarks at the 26th Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Bratislava.
Mnatsakanyan said he would outline the position of Armenia on the key aspects of the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
"First, there is no alternative to the peaceful settlement of the conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, a format which is internationally mandated and supported," the Minister said.
"Second, the inalienable right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination represents a fundamental principle and foundation for the peaceful resolution. The recognition of this principle not to be limited in the scope of determination for the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh must be clearly and unequivocally accepted. The term “without limitation” clearly implies also the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to maintain and determine a status outside the jurisdiction, sovereignty or territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The persistent hostile policies and actions of Azerbaijan aimed at undermining and threatening the existential physical security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, including the latest attempted aggression by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh in April 2016, emphasize the illegitimacy and impossibility of claiming jurisdiction by Azerbaijan over the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Azerbaijan must assume direct commitment to recognition of the right to self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh by way of legally binding free expression of the will of the people living in Nagorno-Karabakh, the outcome of which should have no limitation.
"Third, the security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh will not be compromised. Under no circumstances the people of Nagorno-Karabakh should be left without secure lines of defense. There will be no condition assuming a risk to existential physical security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh as it was the case in 1991-1994 and in 2016. To underline this point, I refer to the situation in the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh, presently occupied by Azerbaijan, in which Armenians were ethnically-cleansed and territories were completely resettled by Azerbaijanis. This reality has recently been presented by the leadership of Azerbaijan as a good example of a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Fourth, the peaceful settlement should be inclusive by directly engaging all the parties to the conflict. Therefore, Nagorno-Karabakh through its elected representatives should be a direct party to the negotiating process. In this respect, we emphasize the necessity of full engagement of the elected representatives of Artsakh in the peace process, particularly on the core issues of substance. The government of Armenia will never engage in any activities which can violate the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to freely determine their political status or can deprive them of the ownership of this process.
"Fifth, peaceful settlement cannot take place in an environment...
