STEPANAKERT—The Foreign Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Karen Mirzoyan, in an interview with the President of the Canadian student association AESPUL, Francois-Pierre Cartolano, explained Stepanakert’s foreign policy priorities, its challenges and successes.
“The foreign policy of the NKR [Nagorno-Karabakh Republic] is aimed at strengthening peace, stability, and security in the region based on universal values of democracy, human rights, and freedoms. We are convinced that the current unrecognized status of Artsakh should not create barriers for its engagement in the international processes,” Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan told Francois-Pierre Cartolano.
“The key priorities of the NKR foreign policy are: the international recognition of the independence of the NKR, a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, the protection of the rights and interests of the NKR citizens abroad (as well as Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan and internally displaced persons), the attraction of foreign investments to the NKR economy, and the promotion along with the strengthening of Artsakh-Armenia-Diaspora cooperation,” he said.
The Minister said in 2014 they will continue efforts to reinstate the positive tendencies towards the recognition of the NKR, as well as the restoration of a full-fledged negotiation format with immediate and direct participation of the NKR in all its phases: the absence of one of the main parties to the conflict at the negotiation table makes it difficult to achieve any real progress.
“Other priority tasks this year will be to give a new impetus to a more lively and consistent work in the information field with the aim of spreading reliable knowledge about the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh as well as promoting the significant achievements in the democratic state-building and the current developments in our Republic,” the Foreign Minister noted.
“The main challenge is the absence of international recognition of the NKR. This in turn hampers the full-fledged activities of our Ministry and sets certain limitations on the realization of its foreign policy. In the meantime, these existing challenges give us an additional impetus for more active and diligent work towards reaching the goals set before us,” he added.
In January 2014, Los Angeles’ city council adopted a resolution recognizing the NKR. “In recent years there has been a tendency towards the recognition of the NKR on the level of different US and Australian states along with recognitions by many cities,” Karen Mirzoyan said.
The Minister reminded about the resolutions and statements supporting the Karabakh people’s right to self-determination from the legislative bodies of the American states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Louisiana, and California as well as the Australian state of New South Wales.
“Furthermore, there’s the establishment of efficient ties at the municipal level between the cities of Montebello, Fresno, Highland, Los Angeles, Pico Rivera [US], le Pen Mirabo, and Vien [France] with towns of the NKR. I am sure, that this process will have its logical continuation and will gain new impetus. Today Artsakh proved to the world that it is a well established state and can lead a responsible and active foreign policy. The path which Artsakh has taken is being adequately assessed by the international community,” he added.
Asked about the possibility of renewed aggression, the Minister said: “The aggressive stance of Azerbaijan manifested in its non-stop bellicose rhetoric, continued military buildup, and the constant threats of a resumption of a new war all pose a serious risk to peace and security in the region. Hatred towards anything Armenian has become a state policy in Azerbaijan. So far the Azeri threats remain on the level of militant rhetoric and provocations on the Line of Contact [the current borders inherited from the ceasefire in 1994], each of which could lead to unpredictable developments. As long as there are no guarantees to the irreversibility of peace process and non-resumption of military activities, peace and stability in the region will always be threatened.”
“To date, the only guarantee of security for the NKR and its people is the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s Defense Army which is alert and ready to repel any encroachments along the borders. There’s also room here for a role to be played by the international community. A clear message about the absolute imperative of rejecting violence, honoring already reached agreements, and arriving to a negotiated outcome has to be an indispensable part of the collective practical efforts aimed at supporting the settlement of the conflict,” the Foreign Minister said.
If anyone tries NOT to hate an Armenian there, he’ll be handled with their traditional weapon (the ax).
While the artificial state of Azergayjan and the fake and fabricated nation of pseudo-Turkish Azergayjanis bark and continue to bark, the Armenian caravan must move on.
Here is what I propose to solve this issue once and for all:
1. Reunite Artsakh with Armenia.
2. Make conditions in liberated Artsakh, through investments and such, favorable to a repatriation on a massive scale of Diaspora Armenians into the region, perhaps half a million people or let’s say hundred thousand families.
3. Enlist one person from each family into the army, creating a 2nd active defensive as well as offensive army of one hundred thousand strong, ready to destroy and cut to pieces any Azergayjani who dares to violate the independent Artsakh borders.
4. Fortify the region heavily with massive military armaments capable of turning the artificial state of Azergayjan into a parking lot should the Azergayjani dogs begin to bark any louder.
5. Create factories to employ workers to produce products to be exported all over the globe through Armenia to get the economy going, thus raising the standard of living and attracting even more Armenians to the region for permanent resettlement.
6. As a victorious nation in a war imposed on us, set the rules and speak from a position of strength to the artificial state of Azergayjan, and her pseudo-Turkish population illegally settled on Armenian lands under the former Soviet regime, and make it clear under no circumstances even an inch of precious Armenian land will be given up to the criminal Azergayjanis in order to continue to have an illegal hold on liberated ancient province of Artskah.
7. Go about your business while throwing bones to barking Azergayjanis.
Well said Ararat , agree with you 100% and ready to contribute when time comes .
It is question of time when Azerbaijan’s monies from national resources deplete, next Armenia is going to have a poor, ignorant, and fanatic country as a neighbour , and that’s going to be a real problem. Aliyev instead of spending on education, he’s buying arms which after a while is going to become junk, making arms manufacturers rich and Azerbaijan poor.