Expert: The law "On the occupied territories of Artsakh" should be  followed by the recognition of Artsakh by Armenia

ArmInfo. The draft law "On the occupied territories of Artsakh" presented in the National Assembly of Artsakh is intended to define and give a legal formulation to the  results of Azerbaijan's 44-day aggression against Artsakh and its  inhabitants. A similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by head of  the International Center for Human Development (ICHD) Tevan  Poghosyan.

"Following this, the next step should be the initiation of the  process of recognition of Artsakh in the National Assembly of  Armenia. In my opinion, in the current realities, the adoption of  such a bill seems extremely important. Especially in the conditions  when Armenia, in fact, is no longer the guarantor of Artsakh's  security. Moreover, not only de jure, but also de facto, which is  clearly manifested in the inaction of Yerevan, at least in relation  to the draft law on the occupation of the territories of the Republic  of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, which is being prepared in the Artsakh  parliament," he stressed.

On February 1, it became known that on January 27 the draft law "On  the occupied territories of Artsakh" was submitted in the regulations  of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh. The project was  developed with the participation of all five parliamentary factions.  It is planned to be adopted at all stages.  In accordance with the NA  Rules of Procedure, on February 16 the draft will be considered in  the first reading. The main points of the bill indicate that there is  no alternative but Artsakh to protect the territories reserved for it  by the Constitution, as well as the need for foreign companies to  obtain a permit from the Artsakh government to operate in the  occupied territories.

Returning to the draft law on the occupied territories of Artsakh,  Poghosyan considered this initiative normal, well-developed, within  the framework of international practice. According to him, the bill  has formed a framework of legal issues related to the status of  refugees, toponyms and territories subjected to aggression and  occupation. The latter, according to the expert, should include all  territories controlled by Artsakh before the 44-day aggression of  Azerbaijan, as well as the territories occupied by Azerbaijan  following the results of the first war.  

"A separate paragraph of the law should be responsibility for the  occupation of Artsakh territories, As well as the need to coordinate  with the authorities of Artsakh any investments, economic,  humanitarian activities in its occupied territories. Problems related  to our cultural and historical heritage. All this will create  completely new realities, at least in the legal field. Realities that  everyone, including the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, will have  to reckon with. In the end, as a result of Azerbaijani aggression,  the notorious principle of territorial integrity, the principle of  non-use of force, was violated. That is, two of the three fundamental  principles on the basis of which negotiations have been going on all  these years. And we have to prove all this, including on the basis of  the law "On the occupied territories of Artsakh," Poghosyan summed  up.