ArmInfo. In Stepanakert, the Artsakh Friends Forum "Cooperation for Justice and Peace" has started.
As the NKR President's press service told ArmInfo, Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan participated in the opening of the forum and delivered a welcoming speech to the audience. Sahakyan during his speech emphasized that this event is special, both in content and in the composition of the participants. "For the first time, a Forum of Artsakh Friendships is being organized, which brought together political, public, cultural figures, human rights activists, scientists, analysts and journalists from different countries under the same roof. Here are members of friendship groups and circles with Artsakh, representatives of administrative units and political forces, recognizing the independence of our republic or cooperating with us, for many years, being committed to democratic principles and humanitarian values, you have been carrying out painstaking work aimed at to promote Artsakh, presentation of objective information about our country in various international platforms, the development of bilateral relations, the implementation of different programs in Artsakh ", - said the President of Artsakh, in this context, expressed appreciation and gratitude to you for all this and appreciated their mission. At the same time, the President of Artsakh emphasized that the issues that will be discussed at the forum affect almost all spheres of the life of the republic, and this format makes it possible to better present reality, outline and clarify plans for the future.
According to him, in this context it is important to once again present a vision of the state building of the Republic of Artsakh and the imperatives of foreign policy, which is a kind of benchmark in your work. Sahakyan emphasized that the creation of an independent, sovereign, strong state was and remains the basis of state building, the cornerstones of which are the trinity of Artsakh with Armenia and the Diaspora and commitment to democratic values and principles. "The most important imperative for us is to fully ensure the security of Artsakh on all levels. Even a slight weakening of our security will create the temptation for the enemy to resort to new aggression, which is fraught with unpredictable consequences. It is for this reason that the security problem is also a priority in the negotiation process. Concerning the negotiation process , I want to reaffirm that we are supporters of the peaceful settlement of our relations with Azerbaijan through negotiations under the auspices of the Minsk Group O BSE: It is impossible to achieve serious success without restoring the full-fledged format of the negotiation process with the full participation of Artsakh. It is obvious that the fate of Artsakh cannot be decided without his participation and for us there can be no return to the past, both in terms of status and borders. the foreign policy of the Republic of Artsakh is based on the principles of balance and multi-vectority, "the NKR head stressed, adding that maintaining good relations equally with Europe, the USA, Russia, and regional states is Artsakh is imperative.
The leader of Artsakh stated that this is due to the peculiarities of the region and the presence of the Armenian diaspora. "In the foreign policy sphere, Stepanakert continues to pay special attention to establishing and deepening ties with different countries and states and their administrative-territorial units. Time poses new challenges, requires clarification and approval of the strategy and tactics of confronting different challenges. Close cooperation between Armenia is of key importance here, Artsakh and the Diaspora, strengthening permanent practical ties between Artsakh and his friends. Plans and objectives are diverse, but definitely realistic. I am sure that we will It's possible to solve them effectively, and along these lines, holding such events is of particular importance, "Sahakyan concluded. It should be noted that the purpose of the event is to expand and strengthen interaction with various regions and cities, as well as giving new impetus to existing international relations. The forum will be attended by representatives of political and public structures, friendship groups with Artsakh operating in different countries of the world, as well as those who recognized the independence of Artsakh or administrative and territorial units cooperating with the republic. In total, we are talking about over 150 participants from about 30 countries of the world. Within the framework of the event, discussions will be held on the topics of the peace process and the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination, as well as the possibilities of expanding international relations of Artsakh in order to oppose the isolation policy of Azerbaijan. -v-