The Country to Live: Artsakh has not been and will not be part of Azerbaijan

The joint statement by the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of France and the EU President, under which Armenia and Azerbaijan affirm their commitment to the UN Charter and the 1991 Almaty Declaration (obliging both to recognize each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity), does not stem from the interests of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.

The Country to Live party does not call into question the importance of establishing peace in the region and the inviolability of the borders of the Republic of Armenia but notes at the same time that this statement is a practical step by the Armenian authorities towards the express policies to totally distance themselves from the Artsakh issue, which will be a serious obstacle in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace settlement process - given the almost absence of possible channels for the Republic of Armenia to represent its interests on the international arena. The Republic of Armenia is obliged to represent the interest of Artsakh as the guarantor of the problems surrounding Artsakh - if not as a beneficiary of the Artsakh issue - contributing to the recognition of Artsakh as a subject of international law.

Artsakh has not been and will not be part of Azerbaijan. The recognition of Artsakh's right to self-determination and the strengthening of Artsakh's security and development continue to remain a paramount goal for the Armenian people, which we are sure will unite the efforts of all Armenians in spite of the current Armenia authorities.

We would like to note that the Charter of the Commonwealth of Independent States - the underlying instrument behind the Almaty Declaration referred to in the statement - was ratified by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia with reservations back in 1992.

In particular, Article 5 of the Charter is effective for Armenia with the following content: "The Parties shall recognize and respect the right of nations to free self-determination, the territorial integrity of one another and the inviolability of the borders."

Hence, the right of nations to free self-determination continues to remain dominant for the Republic of Armenia as part of the CIS regardless of any signed statement or treaty.

Meantime it is unacceptable that Azerbaijan, allegedly recognizing the territorial integrity of Armenia, continues keeping a certain part of Armenia under control, which is a statement of a de-facto imitation. This demonstrates yet another time that no document will ensure the interests of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, and the only guarantee of our interests is the powerful system of security and development.