July 15, 2008 - 17:10 AMT
NKR MFA: attempts to bring Karaabkh and its people back into past doomed to failure
The Nagorno Karabakh Republic has proclaimed its independence and is building its statehood in compliance with the international law and that time USSR legislation, the legal successor of which is the present-day Russian Federation, NKR Foreign Minister said.

"Neither history, nor time can be turned back. The attempts of the Azerbaijani leadership to revive the old Stalin administrative doomed "borders" only provoke tension around the Nagorno Karabakh problem and may result in conflict escalation," Georgy Petrossian said when commenting on Azeri media reports saying that "solution of the Azerbaijani-Karabakhi conflict on the basis of securing sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability of the state's borders."

"It happened so at the end of 1980s and at the beginning of 90s when the international community recognized the results of the "referendum" on independence in Azerbaijan, in which, by the way, the people of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic didn't participate, but refused to recognize the results of a similar referendum in Nagorno Karabakh, I would like to emphasize, conducted before the "referendum" in Azerbaijan. The reason of Azerbaijan's aggression against the Karabakhi people was just this stance of the international community which stimulated Azerbaijan's claims on Nagorno Karabakh.

We have repeatedly stated that any attempts to bring Karabakh and its people back into the past limiting their freedom are not only counter-productive but are also doomed to failure.

Independence is the highest aim for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic people, and we will never retreat. We are convinced that the international community understands this," Minister Petrossian said.