Aravot.am asked the Vice Speaker of the National Assembly of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Artur Tovmasyan about how the people in Artsakh accepted the move of Armenia’s vote against the resolution of recognizing the Crimean referendum illegal in the UN General Assembly. Let’s recall that a number of politicians in Armenia have condemned the move of the Armenian delegation to vote against the resolution. “All factions of the Artsakh National Assembly, a group of MPs has welcomed the results of the referendum in Crimea accepting it as the right of nations to self-determination, with which the population living in Crimea took the advantage. We have applauded the right to self-determination,” said Mr. Tovmasyan. To our question of whether he has no fear that voting against the resolution Armenia may appear in a list, which includes mainly authoritarian and internationally isolated countries, Mr. Tovmasyan said, “There is no such fear, we, Armenians living in Karabakh, cannot miss not applauding those striving for self-determination. What’s wrong with that?” He also applauded the RA President’s position regarding the Crimean referendum and said that the absolute majority of Karabakh politicians were in favor of this statement, at the same time he noted, “Artsakh’s problem is completely different. Artsakh gained its independence at the cost of blood. Whereas, there was no war in Crimea and the absolute majority of people were in favor of and took the advantage of the right to self-determination. The problems are completely different.” To our question of what the position of welcoming the Crimean referendum will five to Artsakh, whether it will promote international recognition of Artsakh’s right to self-determination, our interlocutor said, “The states striving for self-determination are very excited when other states welcome the results of the referendum and the self-determination.” We asked him why Artsakh and Armenia did not applaud self-determination processes of, for example, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Vice Speaker did not answer, just said, “We have friendly relations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”
Arpine Simonyan
