Baku Can Never Make Karabakh People Refuse Their Right to Self-Determination

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Taking into account the statement that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group presented to the OSCE Permanent Council, in Vienna, on June 22, and the interview that Matthew Bryza, the new US co-chair, gave soon thereafter, where albeit partially, the principles of the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement were revealed for the first time, and also taking into account the recent desperate calls by Azerbaijan for a military solution and autonomy for Nagorno Karabakh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia would like to make several observations.



The co-chairs have only partially revealed the Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution principles; they have left out references to a corridor linking Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia, and issues relating to Nagorno Karabakh's status before a referendum.



The co-chairs have, for the first time, affirmed that the people of Nagorno Karabakh shall determine their own future status through a referendum.



Those items over which the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to disagree do not include a referendum. That concept has been agreed to by the presidents. The area of disagreement between the presidents has to do with the sequence in which the consequences of the military conflict are removed.



In an attempt to resolve this remaining area of disagreement, a proposal was made by the co-chairs after Rambouillet. This proposal was accepted by Armenia in Bucharest. Azerbaijan rejected it.



Armenia finds that the basic principles, proposed by co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, overall, on the table today remain a serious basis for continuing negotiations. On that basis Armenia is prepared to continue negotiations with Azerbaijan.



Armenia believes that Azerbaijan's wavering on these principles is a serious obstacle to progress in the negotiations. If this policy continues, Armenia will insist that Azerbaijan conduct direct negotiations with Nagorno Karabakh.



Finally, we remind Azerbaijan once again that regardless of the size of their military budget, they cannot force the people of Nagorno Karabakh to renounce freedom and the right to self-determination," says the Armenian MFA statement.