YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov has commented on the announcement of Azerbaijani President Ilham ALiyev that Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be settled in the sidelines of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Talking to the reporters after the Executive Body meeting of the Republican Party of Armenia, Sharmazanov noted that Artsakh has never been part of Azerbaijan.  “The ISCE Minsk Group that is the only institution with the mandate of settlement has mentioned the 3 principles where in addition to the principle of territorial integrity there are also the principles of self-determination and peaceful settlement. If the conflict must be settled based on only territorial integrity, why has the principle of self-determination been introduced here? Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan. The people of Artsakh has determined its fate and it’s our sacred responsibility to protect the right to self-determination of Artsakh’s citizens even until to a full independence”, ARMENPRESS reports Sharmazanov saying.

Referring to the announcement of the Azerbaijani president that the international community and Azerbaijan do not recognize Artsakh’s referendum of independence, Sharmazanov reminded that once the USSR did not recognize the independence referendum of Armenia, Georgia, Estonia and the other countries. “Now there is no USSR, but there are independent republics. Artsakh will also once become a full UN member”, he said.