The chair of the NKR National Assembly Committee of Foreign Affairs Vahram Atanesyan held a news conference in Armenia on November 21 at the Tesaket press club. In the beginning he said he speaks as a private person and does not represent the official stance of NKR.
The reporters asked the private person Vahram Atanesyan how Karabakh evaluates the current stage of the settlement of the conflict. Atanesyan stated that there is one issue on the agenda of Karabakh, the international recognition of NKR within the borders acceptable for the people of Karabakh and the dominance of the national security. Vahram Atanesyan stated that the borders acceptable for the people of NKR are set down in the NKR Constitution which holds that before the restoration of its territorial integrity NKR has sovereignty over the factual borders. In other words, it includes the liberated territories as well, and the restoration of the territorial integrity of NKR involves the region of Shahumyan which is occupied by Azerbaijan but is part of NKR, Vahram Atanesyan says.
Atanesyan stated that Karabakh has a distinct approach towards the settlement of the conflict. By the way, he said that approach differs from the approach of Armenia. In addition, according to Vahram Atanesyan, there has always been a difference between the approaches of Armenia and Karabakh, sometimes striking, sometimes not. Among differences, Atanesyan said NKR pursues one issue – international recognition. Vahram Atanesyan says Karabakh does not consider the discussion of territories as essential, and “at the moment it cannot be on the agenda.” As to other differences, Vahram Atanesyan hopes to talk about them in another news conference for the Armenian reporters.
As to the Moscow declaration, Vahram Atanesyan says Karabakh does not view it as a document which determines the settlement. As to the Madrid principles, Vahram Atanesyan says only the executive government can speak about them since the details of the talks are known in that domain. Vahram Atanesyan commended the consultation of the Armenian president with the political parties of Armenia, noting that in Karabakh such consultations were launched in the beginning of this year, and he hopes they will finish by the end of this year, and the National Assembly will draw a conclusion. By the way, Vahram Atanesyan said when Serge Sargsyan visited Karabakh, he was busy with personal matters and he does not know whether Serge Sargsyan has met with the NKR parliamentarians.
Vahram Atanesyan also said he does not share the opinion that the settlement is close. He also disagrees with the Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group that it is difficult to say whether the entire public of Karabakh is against ceding the territories. He also stated that the opinions of any mediators or experts are not dominant for Karabakh. Vahram Atanesyan also says there is no panic among the people of Karabakh that if they do not return the territories, the war will ignite.
As to the participation of Karabakh in the talks, Vahram Atanesyan stated that they want NKR to be part of the talks but it is necessary to proceed from facts. And the fact, according to Vahram Atanesyan, is that even in 1994 NKR was not a full-right member of the talks because the NKR foreign minister negotiated with the so-called leader of the Azerbaijani community of Karabakh. According to Vahram Atanesyan, the wish of NKR is equal participation together with Armenia and Azerbaijan. Vahram Atanesyan says there are difficulties but those difficulties are possible to overcome.
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