Statement of the “United Homeland” Party On the Developments around the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
The trilateral meeting of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev took place in Brussels on May 22, 2022, as a result of which, in connection with the statement spread by the President of the Council of Europe, the “United Homeland” party announces:
- The well-known trilateral statement of November 9, 2020 stated that the Republic of Armenia is no longer the guarantor of the security of the Artsakh Republic, with the same statement it was undertaken by the Russian Federation, deploying peacekeeping troops in parallel with the withdrawal of the Armenian Armed Forces. Therefore, ensuring stability, security in the South Caucasus region, including the establishment of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict without the mediation of Russia is practically unpromising and fruitless.
- The only de facto mandate for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from the complex ethno-political conflicts in the South Caucasus rests with the OSCE Minsk Group; other approaches to the subtleties of the problem that go beyond this dimension are unacceptable.
As the Republic of Artsakh is not involved in the negotiation process of the conflict settlement as an independent entity, Armenia has the right to negotiate on its behalf; therefore the Armenian authorities are obliged to:
- Obtain the consent of the people of Artsakh and the authorities elected by them on the main principles and elements of the negotiations;
- Negotiate on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict either only within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group or in the Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan trilateral dimension, which has another precedent.
The efforts of the related mediations can and should be aimed at encouraging or supporting the final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the above-mentioned measures.
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- The active mediation efforts of the Council of Europe in the issues of Armenia-Azerbaijan border, unblocking of infrastructure, peace agreement, and economic development are aimed at overcoming Europe’s dependence on Russia by using Azerbaijan’s gas potential.
In the context of such mutually beneficial expectations, the Council of Europe cannot maintain a mediating balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, so any mediation by it will be compromised by the components of Artsakh’s security system. This is evidenced by the vocabulary of the President of the Council of Europe, who avoids even using the phrase “Nagorno Karabakh”.
We consider the tolerance and introduction of such a speech by the Armenian authorities or an international organization on the agenda of the NK conflict settlement unacceptable and inadmissible.
- The non-fulfillment of the agreements reached by the Azerbaijani authorities in the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020 and the aggressive rhetoric are inversely proportional to the agreements reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result of various mediations.
A comprehensive and final solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is possible only through horizontal communication with the people of Artsakh and the government elected by them, and not through declaring them internationally wanted, committing crimes against humanity, organizing information-psychological terrorism, and creating an environment of creping aggression.
The “United Homeland” party reaffirms its commitment to refrain from actions that do not reflect the challenges on the agenda and practical solutions to their solution, on the grounds of which the party’s parliamentary faction refused joining the statement spread by the NA factions of the Republic of Artsakh on May 24.