Pashinyan says Karabakh talks are formal in nature
01.05.2018,
13:53
The talks to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are held only for the sake of talks being formal in nature, Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan said today during a special session of the National Assembly, which is supposed to elect a new prime minister for the country.
YEREVAN, May 1. /ARKA/. The talks to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are held only for the sake of talks being formal in nature, Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan said today during a special session of the National Assembly, which is supposed to elect a new prime minister for the country.
According to Pashinyan, when the Azerbaijani authorities do not miss a single opportunity to threaten Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and even seize the Armenian capital, the negotiation process is of a formal nature. According to him, the resolution of the conflict is impossible until the other party to the conflict has a corresponding intention.
"The talks will acquire a real meaning only if Azerbaijan assumes the obligation to respect the norms of international law and will be ready to resolve the issue in accordance with them ," Pashinyan said. He noted that to protect the homeland from aggression, the Armenian people need to concentrate their potential and mobilize all forces.
"It is impossible to talk about mutual concessions in the resolution of the conflict when Azerbaijan is trying to destroy the Armenian statehood. Negotiations on mutual concessions will begin only when Azerbaijan recognizes the right of the people of Karabakh to self-determination," Pashinyan said.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s as the predominantly Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan sought to secede from Azerbaijan and declared its independence backed by a successful referendum.
On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations. A truce was brokered by Russia in 1994, although no permanent peace agreement has been signed. Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh and several adjacent regions have been under the control of Armenian forces of Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh is the longest-running post-Soviet era conflict and has continued to simmer despite the relative peace of the past two decades, with snipers causing tens of deaths a year. On April 2, 2016, Azerbaijan launched military assaults along the entire perimeter of its contact line with Nagorno-Karabakh. Four days later a cease-fire was reached. -0-
According to Pashinyan, when the Azerbaijani authorities do not miss a single opportunity to threaten Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and even seize the Armenian capital, the negotiation process is of a formal nature. According to him, the resolution of the conflict is impossible until the other party to the conflict has a corresponding intention.
"The talks will acquire a real meaning only if Azerbaijan assumes the obligation to respect the norms of international law and will be ready to resolve the issue in accordance with them ," Pashinyan said. He noted that to protect the homeland from aggression, the Armenian people need to concentrate their potential and mobilize all forces.
"It is impossible to talk about mutual concessions in the resolution of the conflict when Azerbaijan is trying to destroy the Armenian statehood. Negotiations on mutual concessions will begin only when Azerbaijan recognizes the right of the people of Karabakh to self-determination," Pashinyan said.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict erupted into armed clashes after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s as the predominantly Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan sought to secede from Azerbaijan and declared its independence backed by a successful referendum.
On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations. A truce was brokered by Russia in 1994, although no permanent peace agreement has been signed. Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh and several adjacent regions have been under the control of Armenian forces of Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh is the longest-running post-Soviet era conflict and has continued to simmer despite the relative peace of the past two decades, with snipers causing tens of deaths a year. On April 2, 2016, Azerbaijan launched military assaults along the entire perimeter of its contact line with Nagorno-Karabakh. Four days later a cease-fire was reached. -0-
