YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov responded to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement which stated that Nagorno Karabakh may become an autonomous republic within Azerbaijan, reports “Armenpress”.

During the briefing in the Parliament, Sharmazanov said it's not Ilham Aliyev who should decide the status of Nagorno Karabakh. “The people of Nagorno Karabakh have started to fight for the right to live freely and independently in 1988. If Mr. Aliyev is not aware, I will inform that the exercise of the right to self-determination is one of the negotiation principles. The Presidents of the Minsk Group Co-Chairing countries have repeatedly stated that the exercise of the right to self-determination is one of the three principles in line with territorial integrity and peaceful settlement”, Sharmazanov said.

He added that the existence of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic within Azerbaijan is the best evidence that Armenians cannot live in a status of a citizen of an autonomous republic within Azerbaijan.

“What happened in Nakhchivan? We saw that the Azerbaijani leadership and Azerbaijanis were not only persecuting the Armenian people, were not only organizing massacres in Sumgait and Baku, but they have also organized the elimination of tens of thousands cross-stones. The Azerbaijanis could not have been tolerant towards the Armenian cross-stones, how they can be tolerant towards the Armenian people?”, he said.

Sharmazanov said the people of NKR must exercise the right to self-determination and make their decision. He expressed confidence in case of new referendum the people of Karabakh will make the same decision which was made in 1991.

“I think Aliyev’s statements especially to the Russian media are inappropriate. If Mr. Aliyev wanted to say an independent republic, perhaps, that's the truth”, Sharmazanov said.

Sharmazanov said the NKR’s recognition is a matter of time. “The most important for us over the Nagorno Karabakh issue is the status. Nagorno Karabakh will not be a part of Azerbaijan in any status, this is our response to Mr. Chamberlain”, he said.

To the question why the regular meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan is not being held, Sharmazanov said the problem is associated with the Azerbaijani side. “Two days ago the participants of the CSTO Yerevan summit called to implement the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements. Can you say that the Azerbaijani side has taken any practical step towards implementing the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements? The problem is in the Azerbaijani side. If Azerbaijanis perceive a mutual concession as an autonomous republic, they are in confusion and self-deception. The mutual concession is the international recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, but for what it will be, the NKR people will decide”, Sharmazanov said.

Sharmazanov doesn’t rule out that Aliyev’s such statement at this moment is an irritable and nervous response to the statement of the CSTO heads of states over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, especially when the Azerbaijani political scientists supporting Aliyev have started to express opinions that Moscow has changed its stance on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement under the pressures of the Armenian side and doesn’t have pro-Azerbaijani stance.

To the view which says Aliyev doesn’t rule out that Azerbaijan may join the EAEU, Sharmazanov said: “If Mr. Aliyev doesn’t rule it out, and the politics is an art of possible, he must not rule out the international recognition of Nagorno Karabakh as well”.