Your trusted source

“The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has never been a territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as Baku often tries to portray it by abusing the text and interpretation of four relevant UN Security Council resolutions of 1993. In reality, a legal essence of the confrontation lays in the internationally recognized fundamental principle of equality of peoples and the right to freedom and self-determination,” says the American analytical online publication Foreign Policy Journal in the article entitled “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic: The First 20 Years of de-facto Independence.”

According to the article, the peaceful appeal of Nagorno-Karabakh to the Soviet Government on reunification with Armenia, and declaration of independence in 1991 set the example of a people’s attempt to enjoy their right to self-determination, and to master their own destiny. Azerbaijan responded with a large-scale military aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, with the support of Afghan mujahideens and other forces linked to various international terrorist organizations, which also fought against ethnic Armenians.

Ultimately, Baku and its certain supporters failed to conquer Artsakh, and had to ask for a cease-fire, which was co-signed by Azerbaijan, Armenia and NKR in May, 1994. Later, the co-chairs to the OSCE Minsk Group repeatedly evidenced the violation of the cease-fire by Azerbaijan, it noted in the publication of Foreign Policy Journal. For instance, Russia’s envoy to the Group from 1992 to 1996, Vladimir Kazimirov has many times stated that revanchist Azerbaijan had always been responsible for violating the UN resolutions and undermining international peacemaking efforts.

The bottom-line is, writes the Foreign Policy Journal, that the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s independence has nothing to do with the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan – the legal predecessor of the only independent Azerbaijani Republic of 1918-1920, which never included Nagorno Karabakh. “For those who reject to accept the regional realities and existence of the sovereign Artsakh, the international community has repeatedly reaffirmed its vision of the Karabakh settlement, which has to be based on the three main and equal principles of the international law: right for self-determination of peoples, territorial integrity of states, and non use and non threat of use of force,” says the publication.

However, Artsakh survived and since declaring independence in 1991, the NKR has established itself as a free and democratic state with effective democratic governance, active civil society and developing market economy, it is noted in the article. “Thus, during the last decade, Artsakh, being deprived of international financial assistance except for the annual humanitarian assistance by U.S. Congress, proved to be able to restore from ruins its economy and infrastructure,” says the Foreign Policy Journal at the end, adding that deepening of the democratic values remains the essential task for the republic’s authorities, which were elected through a voting monitored and assessed by international observers as free, democratic and transparent.

Previous news: Foreign Policy Journal: In 1918-1920 the international community did not recognize Azerbaijan’s authority over Nagorno-Karabakh