RA MFA: Hague court gives high priority to peoples’ right to self-determination

PanARMENIAN.Net - International Court of Justice ruling on Kosovo independence is unprecedented. For the first time, the International court simultaneously covered two principles: territorial integrity and people’s right to self-determination, ruling that a declaration of independence does not violate any UN resolution or international law, deputy RA Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan stated.

“People’s right to self-determination is one of UN goals, with territorial integrity being a principle used to attain the goal. With a right to self-determination, territorial integrity is of secondary importance, which was suggested by Hague court ruling,” Shavarsh Kocharyan specified.

“It’s obvious, however, that Azeri statements run counter to international law. The international Court confirmed the independence of two Albanian states, Kosovo and Albania with Albanians residing in Kosovo. After this, how should we take Baku’s statement that Armenians can’t have two states at once?” deputy Foreign Minister questioned.

On 22 July, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion on Kosovo's declaration of independence. The ICJ ruled that a declaration of independence does not violate any UN resolution or international law.