Yerevan: Artsakh has never been a part of independent Azerbaijan

ArmInfo. Artsakh has never been a part of independent Azerbaijan.  The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandian stated this during his speech in the Italian community on relations with international organizations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country.

As evidence of his words, Nalbandian cited an excerpt from a letter  of the diplomatic representative of the Italian Foreign Ministry,  Gorini, dated 1920, which states that Nagorno-Karabakh is a part of  the Republic of Armenia. Nevertheless, the minister continued, in  1921, by Stalin's sole decision, Nagorno-Karabakh was included in the  composition of Soviet Azerbaijan as an autonomous region, despite the  fact that 90% of its population was Armenians. Then he told about the  Karabakh movement for independence, which started in 1988, about the  referendum for self-determination from 1991, after which  Nagorno-Karabakh was proclaimed as an independent republic. And in  1999 the European Parliament issued a special resolution proclaiming  that the NKR had self-determined on the same legal bases as the other  post-Soviet republics.

As Nalbandyan noted, Azerbaijan responded to these processes with the  slaughter of Armenians living in the republic. More than 400  000 Armenians were forcibly deported. "Then the war began, which ended in  1994 with the ceasefire agreement signed by Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh  and Azerbaijan," the minister recalled, stressing that over the years  Azerbaijan permanently violates this treaty, including by violating  all international legal and humanitarian norms, the culmination of  which was the April war, initiated by Baku.

According to the minister, Baku, straining the situation in the  Karabakh conflict zone, is trying to divert attention from the  domestic problems of the country, including the socio-economic crisis  and violation of democratic rights and freedoms.

The minister also recalled that since 1997 the OSCE Minsk Group (USA,  Russia, France) is mediators in the settlement of the conflict, which  was repeatedly close to the settlement of the problem - in Key West  in 2001, in Kazan in 2011, however, Baku every time frustrated these  efforts.

According to him, in recent years, negotiations are being conducted  on the basis of key principles for the settlement of the problem -  the Madrid document, developed by the OSCE Minsk Group. "The heads of  the countries of the mediators made five statements, stressing that  the conflict should be resolved on the basis of three fundamental  principles - the right of peoples to self-determination, the  principle of the territorial integrity of states and the preservation  of the ceasefire. They also stated that the status of Nagorno-  Karabakh must be determined by having the legal will of the Karabakh  people," Nalbandian said, stressing that the European Union is  promoting the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group in resolving the  problem.

According to him, the mediators offered a civilized way of solving  the problem on the basis of mutual entitlements. However, he  stressed, Baku this time also adheres to a maximalist, uncompromising  position, constantly threatening with a new war, thereby taking  hostage negotiations, blackmailing and discrediting the mediators.

"Azerbaijan is doing everything to ruin the efforts of the mediators  and the agreements reached with their assistance - the expansion of  the office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE  Chairman-in-Office, the establishment of mechanisms to study cases of  ceasefire violation," the report reads. Nevertheless, Nalbandian  stressed, even in the absence of stable monitoring mechanisms for  border incidents, it is clear who is their initiator.

"Considering Baku's disregard for international efforts, it is time  for the international community to take realistic measures to curb  provocative and aggressive policies of Azerbaijan," Nalbandian said,  stressing that the negotiations have no alternative. "Armenia, along  with the Minsk mediators, will continue efforts towards a peaceful  solution of the problem," he continued, stressing that no one is free  to choose neighbors, but each country, including Armenia, must  promote international peace, good-neighborly relations and  partnership.