Tuesday, November 29 2016 15:14

ArmInfo. Minsk's official stand on Karabakh settlement is reflected in the CSTO Declaration adopted in Yerevan and Alexander Lukashenko also put his signature  under it, Eduard Sharmazanov, Vice Speaker of the Armenian  Parliament, Co-Chair of the Armenian- Belarusian Inter-Parliamentary  Commission on Cooperation, has told ArmInfo, when commenting on the  joint statement of the Azeri and Belarusian Presidents in Baku, which  contains provisions running counter to the position of the OSCE Minsk  Group.         

"On October 14, in the presence of Lukashenko, the CSTO Declaration  was adopted in Yerevan and it was signed also by Lukashenko. The  Declaration reflected the stand of the CSTO member states on the  Karabakh conflict settlement. In particular, the document expressed  solidarity to the Minsk and St.  Petersburg arrangements on reduction  of escalation in the conflict zone and peaceful settlement of the  problem on the basis of three principles - peoples' right to  self-determination, territorial integrity of states and non-use of  force. The Armenian side considers this as the official stand of  Belarus and CSTO member states on the Karabakh settlement. To violate  of the document provisions means to ignore the CSTO stand.  I think  all heads of the CSTO member states respect their own signatures,"  the politician says. 

He recalls that the Karabakh peace process is going on under the  auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group on the basis of the Helsinki  principles. "Everyone should understand that there is no alternative  to independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is for the people of Artsakh  to decide their fate on the basis of these principles," he said. 

When asked whether the Armenian side should assess Lukashenko's  statements, Sharmazanov recalls that a similar incident was fixed  during the April war days and the Ambassador of Belarus was summoned  to the Armenian Foreign Ministry.  

The joint statement of Lukashenko and Aliyev, issued following the  negotiations in Baku on November 28, says that Belarus and Azerbaijan  campaign for the Karabakh conflict settlement in line with the  international law standards. The sides point out the importance of  resolving the Karabakh conflict in compliance with the generally  accepted principles and international law standards, first of all,  with due regard for sovereignty, territorial integrity and  inviolability of the states' borders, as well as the relevant  resolutions of the UN Security Council and OSCE decisions.