YEREVAN (Yereven News Agency)–Armenian Revolutionary Federation Executive Council members Armenia Rustamian–Eduard Ghazarian and Gegham Manoukian met with visiting Azeri reporters Thursday at the Executive Council offices.
The ARF leaders expressed hope that such meetings between the two sides would eventually lead to the establishment of peace in the region. ARF Executive Council representatives gave precise answers to numerous questions directed to them by the Azeri reporters.
It was stressed that the misleading characterization of the ARF stemmed from Soviet propaganda tactics–which was not only directed toward the ARF– but also the Musavat party and Georgian Mensheviks.
The representatives expressed that the ARF believed the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was an undeniable fact and that it should be officially recognized by Azerbaijan as an independent and self ruled government.
The ARF representatives asserted that the emerging concepts of inviolability of borders and territorial integrity have had contradictory interpretations in the realm of conflict resolution–within international circles. Furthermore–the ARF representatives stressed the need to find new methods through which the aforementioned concepts were interpreted–in order to facilitate the peaceful resolutions of such conflicts.
To avoid any future mistakes–the ARF representatives pointed to the need to stay away from stereotypes and to "learn to diffuse historic mines which still pose an explosive danger."
In discussing the Karabakh conflict–drawing of parallels was dismissed since the ARF representatives asserted that Nagorno-Karabakh achieved independence through internationally recognized norms. It was only after it met armed resistance–when the concept of independence was defended through an armed struggle.
The ARF representatives stressed that it would be futile to revert back to the early realities of Karabakh–since independence had already been established.
The ARF Executive Council representatives emphasized that Karabakh could no longer be subjugated to Azerbaijan–given the current realities.
In conclusion–the ARF representatives explained the bases and aims of the organization–pointing to its socialist ideology and stressed the ARF’s unconditional support for a national state.
"The ARF was established with the mission of uniting the nation and protecting it from all dangers," concluded the ARF representatives.
