Nagorno-Karabakh people deserve right to determine their future. Spain's Basque parliamentarians

YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS.Nagorno Karabakh deserves a just and lasting peace based on the right to self-determination. During the year of the twentieth anniversary of the 1994 ceasefire agreement regarding the so called NagornoKarabakh conflict, we have had the opportunity and honor of visiting on different trips the territory and meet the elected authorities of the Artsakh Republic.During those days we have also had the opportunity to engage with the locals and to visit diverse villages. And we must say that we have been impressed with what we have seen. We have been witnesses of a community, a nation that despite all the difficulties try to live on peace, respect and order; full of energy to overcome all the difficulties of being sieged and under constant threat like the ongoing breaks of the cease fire agreement by the Azeri forces show (during our visit we have known of snipers activity and the consequent military casualties on Karabakh side). We have seen the courage of the representatives of the Republic, a non-recognized state that fulfill all the basic requirements of a democratic entity. We have had the opportunity to meet with the maximum representative ofArtsakh Republic, Mr. Sahakyan, and have been impressed by his firm determination to lead his country to a just and lasting peace. But we are also aware that is now 20 years since the agreement that brought to an end the war was signed, laiding the groundwork for negotiations that offered the sides a path to peace. It is true that thanks to the resulting truce a new generation of Armenians and Azerbaijanis grew up without experiencing the horrors of war. But that is not enough, and international community should do everything possible to protect future generations from such experience arriving to a lasting peace, because current status quo can´t be sustained indefinitely. We believe is possible to reach a peaceful settlement based on the core principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, and primarily founded on the basic human right to self-determination of peoples. Because the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh must be determined in the future by a legally-binding expression of willingness of the people living in Nagorno Karabakh, on the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to democratically decide about their future. In 2013 November we were told of a promising renewal of dialogue at the highest levels. We agree on the call on the sides by the Minsk Group “to enter into constructive, good-faith negotiations resulting in a peace agreement” in order to bring about a lasting settlement to the conflict. But we believe that for that to happen it will be necessary to strength internationalsolidarity and support to the people of Nagorno Karabakhon their demand for the respect of their right to decide upon their future. We believe that they deserve it.

Urko Aiartza

Basque Senator in Spanish state.Menber of Amaiur, Basque Pro Sovereignity Coallition.

Jon Iñarritu

Basque Congressman in Spanish state.Menber of Amaiur Basque Pro Sovereignuty Coallition