STATEMENT BY A GROUP OF ARMENIAN BLOGGERS

 
On July 10, 2009, in Aquila, presidents of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries adopted a statement revealing the gist of the so-called Madrid basic principles of Artsakh problem regulation.
 
We believe these principles are pernicious to the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenian people. Surrender of the territories that are integral part of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and ensure the only real and not “paper” guarantees of the security of the Republics of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, the return of the so-called Azerbaijani refugees to Artsakh, as well as stationing of other than Armenian armed forces on the territory of Artsakh radically contradict the interests of the Armenian people, undermine the country’s defense system and jeopardize the future of the Armenian statehood.
We strongly condemn;
 
–         The fact of concealment of the Madrid principles by the authorities of the Republic of Armenia
–         The continued participation of the Armenian officials in the negotiations round principles that contradict our national interests
–         The Republic of Armenia foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan’s statement of July 11, where he welcomes the aforementioned anti-Armenian statement of the heads of MG co-chairing countries
 
From RA President Serge Sargsyan we demand
 
–         Immediate dismissal of RA foreign minister Edward Nalbandyan
–         Cessation of participation in negotiations that are destructive for the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh
–         Forbearance from signing evidently anti-Armenian documents
–         Acting henceforth only for the interests of the Armenian statehood and with valor typical to the Armenian people
 
 
More than 150  bloggers already signed it.

Serzh Sargsyan about Armenia-Turkey negotiations

Armenia will not allow to use the negotiations as campaign tool and to drag out the comprehensive dialogue; this is Armenia’s disposition regarding the regulation of Armenian-Turkish ties.

“We’d like to open the closed borders of Europe and to create normal ties without preconditions. But we are not intended to allow to use the negotiating processes to mislead the international society,” Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at joint news conference with his Cyprus counterpart.

President Sargsyan stressed that it would be much willing if Turkey kept faithful to mutual agreements.

It’s worth reminding that Armenian-Turkish negotiations have been launched after President Serzh Sargsyan took the initiative to start “football diplomacy”. Since 2008 the parties have had discussions and with Swiss mediating a joint statement has been made in April this year claiming to adopt “road map” to regulate ties. It seems the negotiating processes are currently paused which, according to experts, means Turkey wants to reject agreements.

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AZERI MISINTERPRETATION OF EVENTS. RESPONSE FROM NKR

The comments and statements by the Azerbaijan party, including the officials of the Azerbaijani Republic, on the recent initiative of the creative intelligentsia of the Armenian and Azerbaijani people provide misinterpretation of the events, NKR MFA Information Department reports.

In this regard, on the request of the mass media, the NKR MFA Information Department offers the following comment:
“The Nagorno Karabakh leadership once again displayed its good will and agreed to host the intelligentsia representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan, headed by Ambassadors of Armenia and Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation Armen Smbatyan and Polad Byul-Byul Oghly, as well as RF MFA Special Missions Ambassador, RF President’s Special Representative on Cultural Issues Mikhail Shvidkoy, thus reaffirming its principal allegiance to the Karabakh conflict peaceful settlement process.

As to the certain differences concerning the Azerbaijani delegation’s visit itinerary and members, the Karabakh party did not only demand to change of itinerary, but also to exclude the Azerbaijani Milli Mejlis Deputy, Khavva Mamedova, and the delegation member, Chingiz Ismailov, out of the delegation for their marked anti-Karabakhian and anti-Armenian position.
Taking into consideration the Azerbaijani party’s interest in the visit, it is easy to guess that official Baku tries to drastically change the format of the negotiation process and to negotiate directly, without any mediators, with the NKR authorities, which has no alternative. Taking into account the incentives of such mutual visits aimed at reducing the tension between the societies involved in the conflict, the event is worth noticing.

This visit is especially notable in the sense that the Azerbaijani intelligentsia representatives, having visited our country, evidenced once again that they deal with an existing state, where, for the period after the proclamation of an independent republic, overcoming the difficulties and obstacles arisen as a result of the Azerbaijani aggression, the imposed war, and the blockade, unprecedented progress in all the spheres has been fixed, which created the best preconditions for the international recognition of the NKR independence”.

Azerbaijan people withness on Khojaly events

For nine years after the events in Khojaly official Baku has been obstinately fanning anti-Armenian hysteria with the aim of falsifying real events and discrediting the Armenian people in the eyes of the international community.

The events in Khojaly, which led to the death of civilians, were the results solely of political intrigues and a struggle for power in Azerbaijan.

The real reasons are most convincingly reflected in the accounts of Azerbaijanis themselves – as participants in and eyewitnesses of what happened – as well as of those who know the whole inside story of the events in Baku.

According to Azerbaijani journalist M. Safarogly, “Khojaly occupied an important strategic position. The loss of Khojaly was a political fiasco for Mutalibov”. 1

Khojaly, along with Shushi and Agdam, was one of the main strongholds from which Stepanakert, the capital of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, was shelled continuously and mercilessly for three winter months using artillery and missiles and launchers for targeting cities.

Knocking out the weapon emplacements in Khojaly and freeing the airport were the only way for the inhabitants of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic to ensure the physical survival of a population condemned by Azerbaijan to complete annihilation. The daily shelling of Stepanakert from nearby Khojaly took the lives of peaceful inhabitants – women, children and old people.

Former President of Azerbaijan, Ayaz Mutalibov, has emphasized that “… the assault on Khojaly was not a surprise attack”2. In a “Nezavisimaya gazeta” newspaper interview he stated that “a corridor was kept open by the Armenians for people to leave”3. However, a column of civilians was fired on by armed units of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan on the approaches to the Agdam district border, a fact later confirmed by Ayaz Mutalibov, who linked this criminal act to attempts by the opposition to remove him from power, and blamed it entirely for what happened.

In his recent interview with the “Novoye vremya” magazine, Mutalibov confirms his statement of nine year ago: “The shooting of the Khojaly residents was obviously organized by someone to take control in Azerbaijan”4.

Similar comments and views concerning the events in Khojaly are known to have been made by several other highly-placed Azerbaijani officials and journalists.

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic urges

Honorable Mr. President of the Republic of Armenia!

Fourteen years have passed since the victorious end of the national liberation war in Artsakh. As a result of this victory the Armenian soldier has reached the most of the north-eastern historical frontiers of the Armenian Homeland. This war was first and foremost the war for the sacred land of our motherland. The Constitution of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) adopted during the national referendum in 2006 has drawn the sovereign borders of Karabakh’s land, for liberation of which the best sons of our nation shed their blood. The Constitution of the NKR has nullified the artificial and non-viable borders of former soviet “Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast” – an enclave which borders were forced upon Armenians against their will.

This war not only liberated the lands, but also became a just retribution for a Genocide organized by Azerbaijan in response for political claims of Karabakh Armenians. By this victory, the Armenian nation demonstrated to the whole world, that such genocidal attempts will never be left unpunished. The disregards towards this victory of the Armenian people (whether in ideology or in politics) defies the memory of the fallen heroes and the memory of martyrs of Armenian Genocide in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad and other towns and villages of Azerbaijan. This disregards new armed aggression against Armenian statehood.

When it comes to Karabakh, nothing could be disregarded or treated as insignificant or secondary importance detail. The daily display of the soviet borders of the “Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast” (non-existent since the declaration of independence of the NKR) by the Public Television of Armenia in various broadcasts does insult the memory of our heroes, martyrs, as well as Armenian viewers in Armenia, NKR and Spyurk. This is not acceptable under any political circumstances. However, such television displays are especially detrimental today, in the current decisive period of political settlement of the conflict, when the Armenian diplomacy, as we all hope, defends the interests of Armenian people.

We demand to remove the map image of soviet the “Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast” from the weather forecast of TV broadcast. We demand to replace it with the image of the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. We are confident that all the necessary steps will be taken as soon as possible.

The Declaration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian Federation

November 2008,
Moscow Region, Castle Mayendorf

The Declaration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian Federation

Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian Federation, met on November 2nd, 2008 in Moscow at the invitation of President of the Russian Federation,

subject and content discussed in an atmosphere of constructive state and prospects of settling the Nagorny Karabakh conflict by political means, through the continuation of direct dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia through the mediation of Russia, the United States and France as Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,

1. Declare that will help improve the situation in South Caucasus and the establishment of regional stability and security through a political settlement of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict on the basis of the principles and norms of international law and adopted in the framework of decisions and documents, which will create favorable conditions for economic development and all-round cooperation in the region.

2. Reaffirm the importance of continuing the Co-Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group mediation efforts with regard to their meetings with the parties in Madrid on 29 November, 2007 and subsequent discussions with a view to further developing the basic principles of a political settlement.

3. Agree that a peaceful settlement must be accompanied by a legally binding international guarantees all its aspects and stages.

4. Note that the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to continue the work, including through further contacts on the summit to agree a political settlement of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict and instructed their Ministers of Foreign Affairs to intensify further steps in the negotiation process in conjunction with the Co-Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group.

5. I is important to encourage the creation of conditions for the implementation of confidence-building measures in the context of efforts to resolve.