YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. There is no way to peace but through dialogue and trust, Lars Adaktusson, member of the European Parliament representing Sweden, said in an interview to Armenpress, talking about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He recently visited the Republic of Artsakh.

“I was invited as an individual member of the European Parliament by the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy, and my mission aimed to deepen my understanding of the current state of play in the region, in order to shed light on this often forgotten conflict in Sweden and the European Union. This was my first visit to Nagorno Karabakh, and I can state that Nagorno Karabakh is isolated, but despite this its people is determined to do the best of the current situation by implementing reforms that will undoubtedly bring it closer to the peoples of the free world. I also was impressed by the positive spirit of the people I met”, the MEP said.

He said the OSCE Minsk Group offers the best available setting for such an endeavor. “I support all steps taken to increase observation capacities at the contact line, as I believe that peace must be preceded by a cessation of hostilities”, Lars Adaktusson said.

The Swedish MEP is confident that one of the reasons why such a settlement is so hard to achieve is of course the existing conflict of aims.

“The right to self-determination for the people of Nagorno Karabakh, the right of return for refugees, international law and a viable path to democracy and human rights for the people of Nagorno Karabakh are all aspects to be taken into account in a peace settlement”, he said.

As for the Artsakh-EU cooperation, the MEP said he personally promotes a more active role of the EU, not least through the Eastern Partnership.

“I have asked High Representative Mogherini why it is that the EU Special Representative for South Caucasus so far has not visited Nagorno Karabakh”, he stated.

Syuzi Muradyan