Armenia`s authorities obstacle to Artsakh problem solution -  protesters 

ArmInfo. The Armenian authorities are currently an obstacle to resolving the Artsakh issue, since they have removed it from the political agenda. This was stated by the protesters who gathered outside the building of the Armenian Foreign Ministry to hand over a written appeal to the head of the  department, Ararat Mirzoyan.

In this regard, the protesters emphasized that the Artsakh issue  should be discussed within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group to  determine the status of the region. They stated that this is a  question for all Armenians, and the rejection of Artsakh puts the  whole of Armenia at risk.

"The authorities must understand that it is necessary to fight for  Artsakh in order to ensure the security of not only Artsakh, but also  Armenia itself. If they do not do this, then we must do it, but for  this it is necessary to involve wider layers of society in the  process," said one of the protesters, Artur Osipyan.

He also recalled that before the appeal to the Armenian Foreign  Ministry, a number of organizations sent letters to all member  countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, including the embassies of each of  the countries.  Since Armenia is also a member of the OSCE, the  letter was also sent to the Armenian Foreign Ministry.  The protester  added that they will continue to contact other authorities, taking  further action, as there is a possibility that there will be no  response from the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

"The Armenian government has this trait: when you send them a letter,  they may not respond at all or give a response that is far from  reality. Our problem is to include the Nagorno-Karabakh issue on the  agenda, since this is in the interests of all Armenians," Osipyan  said, noting that the Artsakh issue is still on the agenda of the  international community.

It was noted that even if, according to UN resolutions, Artsakh is  recognized as part of Azerbaijan, this does not deprive the Artsakh  people of the right to self-determination. "The problem is that the  status issue must be resolved. The Azerbaijani authorities do not  represent the interests of Armenians, and therefore we have a legal  opportunity to use our right to self-determination," said a  participant in the action.

In turn, the coordinator of the Congress of Refugees from the  Azerbaijan SSR Mariam Avagyan emphasized that the Artsakh issue has a  pro-Armenian solution from a historical, legal and political point of  view. In her opinion, the problem lies in the political factor that  led to the current situation. "The Artsakh issue is not closed and  will not be closed until it receives a fair solution. And a fair  solution is that the Armenian population should live in Armenian  Artsakh," Avagyan noted.

She also expressed the opinion that Azerbaijan's demands will only  increase. "Over the past four years, we have seen that Azerbaijan  needs more than just Artsakh. It wants to take over all of Armenia  and strives to ensure that there are no Armenians left in the world.  We must fight against this," Avagyan asserts.

In this regard, she noted that an important principle must be  introduced into the negotiation process within the OSCE Minsk Group:  a victim cannot live within the borders of a country that commits  genocide against them.

The participants of the action sent a letter to the Armenian Foreign  Ministry from a number of Artsakh NGOs with an appeal to Foreign  Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, in which they indicated that Armenia, as a  country that has accepted the forcibly displaced population of  Artsakh, has the right and obligation to conduct bilateral and  multilateral negotiations on the collective, safe, dignified and  stable return of the people of Artsakh to their small homeland.

As the Artsakh NGOs reminded in their appeal, Azerbaijan does not  abandon its attempts to disband the OSCE Minsk Group, the only  structure with an international mandate for the peaceful settlement  of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this regard, the Azerbaijani  side demands that Armenia jointly appeal to the OSCE with a request  to abolish the Minsk Group and the related structures of the  Organization in order to give legitimacy to its illegal intentions. 

"The Armenian authorities should not agree with this and similar  demands of official Baku, the acceptance of which is not only  humiliating for the Armenian people, but will also deprive Armenia of  its internationally recognized rights to protect the vital interests  of the citizens of Artsakh and the state interests of the Republic of  Armenia," the appeal says.