Residents of Stepanakert mark the 25th anniversary of Artsakh’s independence
YEREVAN—The self-determination of the people of Artsakh trumps Azerbaijan’s claim of territorial integrity, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said during a January 23 interview with Panorama news agency.
Kocharyan says self-determination of the people of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic is the foremost issue at the hand.
His comments come after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated on Monday that Azerbaijan “will never allow the creation of the second fictitious Armenian state on the territory of Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh will never be granted independence.”
“The fact that the state of Azerbaijan appeared on the world’s map less than a century ago cannot serve as a justification for Azerbaijani leadership’s lack of knowledge of fundamental norms of international law,” said Kocharyan.
The Deputy Foreign Minister reminded that according to a United Nations charter, self-determination of a state is decided by its people.
“The leadership of Azerbaijan should have read the United Nations Charter long ago, not to become an object of mockery and should come to terms with the inevitability of the prospect of recognizing the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” Kocharyan stated.
Source: Asbarez
Link: Artsakh’s Self-Determination Trumps Baku’s Territorial Integrity Claims