Artsakh Former FM: If international actors are interested in  establishing peace in South Caucasus, they must respect will of  citizens of Artsakh

ArmInfo. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh Masis Mayilian in his Facebook page  touched upon the statement of the President of the European Council Charles Michel following the talks between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"On May 14, the President of the European Council issued a statement  in which he noted that the parties reaffirmed their unconditional  loyalty to the Almaty Declaration of 1991 and the territorial  integrity of Armenia (29,800 sq. km) and Azerbaijan (86,600 sq. km).  It should be noted that that 86,600 square kilometers correspond to  the territory of Soviet Azerbaijan, in which Nagorno-Karabakh was  illegally included in the form of Armenian autonomy in 1921. Since  then, weighty legal arguments have been published that prove that  before the adoption of the Almaty Declaration, Nagorno-Karabakh was  separated from Soviet Azerbaijan by adopting legal acts and has never  been a part of independent Azerbaijan>, Mayilian noted.

He added that the statement of the head of the EU is a challenge for  the people of Artsakh, but this cannot in any way affect the status  of Artsakh as a self-determined, albeit not yet internationally  recognized republic.

<The right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination does not  depend on the opinion of individual heads of state. The Republic of  Artsakh was established on the basis of the will of the people of  Artsakh, and this will is unshakable. It should be noted that not  only the people of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenians of the  Diaspora are defending the right to self-determination of the people  of Artsakh. The Republic of Artsakh has been recognized by dozens of  states, regions and cities of the world, from Los Angeles to Sydney,  with a population of several hundred million people. In this context,  the resolutions adopted unanimously by the Senate and the National  Assembly of France in 2020 and 2022 on Artsakh are important. The  statement of the President of the European Council is not only a  challenge, but also an opportunity to strengthen the international  competence of the Republic of Artsakh. Obviously, the international  recognition of the Republic of Artsakh can become the most effective  basis for a comprehensive and stable settlement of the conflict  between Artsakh and Azerbaijan. If international and regional actors  are really interested in establishing peace and stability in the  South Caucasus, then they are obliged to respect the will of the  citizens of the Republic of Artsakh>, the ex-minister noted.