Armenian expert community made a statement on the legal settlement of  Karabakh conflict

ArmInfo. Representatives of  Armenian public and political organizations, Armenian refugees from  Azerbaijan, the expert community made a joint statement regarding the  legal settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The statement was  disseminated following the results of the scientific-practical  conference "The Legality of the Formation of the Republic of Artsakh  from the Point of View of International Law", and in which the goals  and objectives of Artsakh's national liberation struggle for  independence from Azerbaijan are unconditionally supported.

"A just settlement of the Artsakh problem is of exceptional  importance for the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people as a  whole, which also means the need to unite the efforts of the  civilized world to form a unified approach to the peaceful resolution  of the Artsakh problem. We are ready to support and justify the peace  project based on the principles and norms of international law  process and legal settlement of the Artsakh problem. Taking advantage  of the fact that the international community is not sufficiently  informed about the essence of the Artsakh problem, Azerbaijan is  trying to present Armenia as an "aggressor" and "occupant" of its  territories, including Artsakh, "forgetting" the indisputable fact  that Azerbaijan was in 1988-1992 at the state level, again resumed  the policy of genocide, ethnic cleansing and mass forced deportation,  under the threat of physical extermination, in relation to more than  500.000 peaceful citizens of Armenian nationality. The aggression  continued in the form of large-scale military actions unleashed by  Azerbaijan against the civilian population of Artsakh, in response to  the just and legitimate demands of the people of Artsakh - to live  safely and freely on their land, which is an integral part of the  ancestral home of the Armenian people, "said statement received by  ArmInfo.

Regarding the history of the issue, the conference participants  recalled the legal aspects of the Karabakh problem, which arose in  the beginning of the 20th century, as a result of the historical and  political events that took place then and afterwards.

The statement stresses that the legal aspects of the emergence of the  conflict prove the validity of the national liberation struggle of  the Armenians of Artsakh and the legal invulnerability of this  process.

"Thus, considering the Artsakh problem as a task of national  importance, we declare a single position: first, the Nagorno-Karabakh  Republic gained its independence from Azerbaijan, applying all the  necessary legal procedures, strictly following the legislation of the  USSR and international legal norms. Therefore, the only and a legal  basis for the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh problem, may be a  process under the rule of norms and provisions of international law,  which means that the problem must be resolved exclusively about legal  means.

Secondly, while noting the irreversible changes that have taken place  in the NKR (Republic of Artsakh) for 30 years, we consider  inadmissible such a negotiation process in which unreasonable  concessions can be imposed on the Armenian side. The Republic of  Artsakh, as a state entity, with its territory, population, state,  democratic institutions, economic and legal systems is an  accomplished reality. Therefore, it must be restored in the  negotiation process as a full party. Otherwise, the settlement of the  problem is impossible.  Thirdly, we will make all our efforts to  protect all the achievements of the national liberation struggle and  are determined to respond adequately to any encroachment on the  security of our people, "the statement says.

In conclusion, the participants of the conference appeal to the Prime  Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to implement the proposal of the  "In Defense of the Artsakh Republic" organizing committee,  promulgated in 1996, to convene a congress of plenipotentiaries of  pan-Armenian structures at which the world community will be formed,  in which the world community will be formed, the united position of  the Armenian people on the peaceful settlement of the Artsakh problem  is presented to the UN member countries.