Armenian President appeals to Azerbaijani President

Saturday, 20 March 2010 10:36

The international community insists that Nagorno Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan

“I propose, through you, the media, to appeal to Azerbaijan to sign an agreement not to use force,” Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in his interview to Euronews, APA reports.

“What does the international community propose to us? To solve this conflict on the basis of three principles of international law: firstly, self-determination; secondly, territorial integrity; and thirdly, the non-use of force. I propose, through you, the media, to appeal to Azerbaijan to sign an agreement not to use force. This would instill trust in the Armenian people of Karabakh and Armenia. And under these conditions of trust we would begin the negotiations for a settlement. We Armenians know very well what Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity means. We’ve talked about it openly several times. The Azerbaijanis… can they say what the right of self-determination means for the people of Nagorno Karabakh? When we issue joint declarations about the right of self-determination, Azerbaijan is not talking about the Armenian people’s right to self-determination but of the right of the main player in the conflict… the people of Nagorno Karabakh,” Serzh Sargsyan said.

Commenting on his statement in London, in February, that Nagorno Karabakh was never a part of independent Azerbaijan, Serzh Sargsyan said:
“Nagorno Karabakh was not a part of independent Azerbaijan. It was the Caucasus Bureau of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union which attached Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan.
Why did the international community acclaim the collapse of the Soviet Union and not consider Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan part and parcel of the Soviet Union? — still saying Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaidjan? It is not logical, is it?”

To the question “What kind of compromises are you willing to make in order to achieve a peaceful resolution of this conflict?” Sargsyan said:
“One cannot eliminate the consequences of this conflict without addressing its causes. And when speaking about the causes… we talk about recognising the people of Nagorno Karabakh’s right of self determination… the recognition of this right and its implementation. The other problems will be solved rapidly after that.
The Armenian parts of this conflict, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, are profoundly interested in a swift resolution of this conflict. But a sustainable resolution that would allow for peace and security in the region, as opposed to giving Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh, which would spell the end of its existence.”