06 06 27 - VARTAN OSKANIAN: TO SUGGEST AUTONOMY TO NAGORNO KARABAKH IS SELF-DECEPTION

Karabakh issue
Armenia has supported and still supports all the international measures directed to aversion and condemnation of genocides, ethnic purges of people in their historical lands and the attempts to deny these events. Vartan Oskanian, RA Foreign Minister, said this in the course of the sitting of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, on June 21.

In his speech, Oskanian touched upon the destruction of 2000 Middle Aged Armenian cross stones in Nor Jugha, Nakhijevan, when the Armenians had nothing to do but to watch how the Azeris were destroying their cultural and spiritual heritage. Oskanian stated that this brutal attitude to the Armenian spirit and culture lasts for already centuries and is very cynical and dangerous. "2000 marvelous medieval cross stones were totally destroyed few months ago," he said. Mr. Oskanian stated that the Armenians and the international community are quite concerned that the intentions of the Azeri authorities to settle the peace are not serious. He emphasized that the cross stones were destroyed in a place where not a single Armenian lives at present. Mr. Oskanian said that this factor testifies to the real intentions and methods of Azerbaijan. He stated that such a brutal annihilation of a nation’s culture and history leads to mistrust and loss of peace.

As for the current stage of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process, he said that Azerbaijan’s approach "one step forward, one step back" applied in the negotiations was concerning, while the suggestion of autonomy to NKR testify to Azerbaijan’s retreat and decline from the essence of the negotiations and from the international trends. "It’s a mere self-deception to suggest autonomy to people who manage their life in their own historical land for about two decades already," Mr. Oskanian said.

Anyway, Mr. Oskanian expressed hope that the negotiations will be held in the direction that will lead to long lasting peace for all sides in conflict.

By Aghavni Harutyunian
asso.armeni@tiscali.it

V.V