ArmInfo. This year Armenia and The United States celebrates the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. This is stated in a letter from the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the United States Varujan Nersisyan to members of the American Congress.
At the same time, the diplomat added that the centuries-old friendship between the two countries continues to strengthen and develop, based on a common history, democratic values and a global vision of a peaceful future in our region and the world.
Nersesyan added that after the Velvet Revolution in Armenia, Armenian-American bilateral ties rose to the level of a strategic dialogue, including intensification of cooperation on a wide range of regional, trade, energy, technological, defense and humanitarian issues.
"We are especially inspired by the constructive engagement of the US Congress with the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. The recent accession of Armenia to the US-led International Alliance of Religious Freedoms, a coalition of countries promoting freedom of religion and tolerance around the world, is also noteworthy.
The United States was one of the first countries to support the aspirations of the people of Nagorno- Karabakh for self-determination and a peaceful and just settlement of the conflict back in November 1989 by Senate resolution 178. This resolution called on the Soviet authorities "... to engage in constructive discussions with elected representatives of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh regarding their demands for reunification with the Armenian homeland," "the ambassador said in a letter.
At the same time, Nersesyan emphasized that the self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh remains the basis of the peace process. In this vein, the Armenian diplomat recalled that the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group recognized equal rights and self-determination as one of the key principles for resolving the conflict and focused on the realization of these rights in their Basic Principles for Conflict Resolution.
"Their proposal clearly establishes the path to the realization of self-determination, which entails a legally binding expression of will without any restrictions when it comes to the future status and choice of people. Azerbaijan, which today positions itself as a guarantor of these Basic Principles, is actually a party, which rejected an agreement on these principles at the 2011 Kazan Summit.
Azerbaijan rejects the right to self-determination in the interpretation of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and is trying to justify this refusal by a very misleading wording of readiness to accept, ?? but with strong and deep reservations. "
Azerbaijan does not just reject the right to self-determination, but refuses to talk with elected representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh, whose role in the settlement of the conflict was recognized by the OSCE in the constituent documents of the Minsk process, as well as the US Senate. Azerbaijan's position is counterproductive and detrimental to international peace efforts in the region.
For more than a quarter century since the end of the war, Nagorno-Karabakh has been a key player in maintaining a ceasefire with Azerbaijan, without any international peacekeepers. Therefore, she earned the right to take her place at the negotiating table and help transform the ceasefire into a lasting peace. Denial of its role in the peace process will delay the world and prolong uncertainty, "he said, recalling that democratic institutions have been formed in Artsakh, which will allow for free and transparent electoral processes, while clan power in Azerbaijan is challenging democratic autocracy and perpetuates "autocracy," summed up the Armenian ambassador to the United States.