Armenian-NKR Interparliamentary Committee Demands Artsakh’s Full Participation in Negotiations

STEPANAKERT — The Inter-Parliamentary Commission of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and the National Assembly of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic has adopted a statement, calling on the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries to take practical steps to ensure the withdrawal of snipers from the borderline between Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, investigation into incidents and prevention of hate speech and actions.

The statement stresses that the international recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic will ensure the irreversibility of the process of settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, and will signal to Azerbaijan that the use of force or the threat of force is impermissible.

In its statement, the Interparliamentary Committee stresses the full conformity of the declaration of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic with the fundamental principles of international law and with the law of the then USSR, as well as the fact of the Republic of Armenia being guarantor of the Artsakh people’s right to self-determination.

The Interparliamentary Committee also urges the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to take measures to ensure Nagorno-Karabakh’s full participation in all the stages of the negotiation process.

Taking into consideration that the ceasefire agreement signed by Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia, which took effect on May 12, 1994, was a significant achievement in settling the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and was possible due to direct negotiations between the Azerbaijani and Nagorno-Karabakh leaderships.

The statement reiterates that the Armenian people in Armenia, Artsakh and worldwide will use their potential to ensure the realization of the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to self-determination on the basis of the UN Charter and the founding documents of international law.

Re-affirming its readiness to a peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, the Interparliamentary Committee States the necessity for consolidating of the ceasefire between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, which is a guarantee of a final settlement.

It calls on the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to take measures to ensure Nagorno-Karabakh’s full participation in all the stages of the negotiation process.