‘Azerbaijan Must Come to Terms with Artsakh’s Independence,’ Says Foreign Minister

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Artsakh Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan

Artsakh Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan

STEPANAKERT—The sooner Azerbaijan realizes that Artsakh’s independence is an unchangeable fact, the closer we will be to a final resolution to the Karabakh conflict, Artsakh Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan said in an interview with tert. am.

Mayilyan reaffirmed Artsakh’s strong commitment to self-determination, describing it as a key principle for the conflict resolution process.

“Artsakh’s recognition by the international community is an irreversible process, which should never be contingent upon Azerbaijan’s whims. To that end, we take consistent steps toward expanding the geography of international cooperation and strengthening the positive dynamics in the international recognition of Artsakh,” Mayilyan told tert.am.

Asked to comment on the lessons learned from the April 2016 war, the official said that the Artsakh government has strengthened mechanisms to counter such hostilities.

“For us, the April war was, first of all, became an impetus to embark on the active modernization of the Defense Army, and Artsakh’s security. Never before did the Defense Army have such a high-level efficiency as it does now,” said Mayilyan, saying that the government is committed to strengthen the military.

“The qualitative changes were not limited only to the army. The April war demonstrated that there is no alternative to our choice for developing a strong and democratic state and to have our full-fledged role on the international arena,” said Mayilyan.

“We find that the key groundwork for strengthening our [national] security is the international recognition of Artsakh, as well as the expansion and deepening of international cooperation. The establishment of a direct and open dialogue between Artsakh and other countries will promote stability and allow us to resolve the problems in our region. Moreover, international cooperation based on the principle of engagement (rather than exclusion) will impart a new stimulus to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution talks, paving the way to a lasting peace in the region,” added the Artsakh Foreign Minister.


Source: Asbarez
Link: ‘Azerbaijan Must Come to Terms with Artsakh’s Independence,’ Says Foreign Minister