President: right to self-determination fundamental principle to Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia is interested in maintaining good cooperation with the East and the West, President Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, according to Public Radio of Armenia website. He added that “it’s dangerous for small countries to take advantage of the contradictions between the major decision-making centers.”

“We have strong economic and strategic relations with Russia, we are part of the collective security system. At the same time we have very good relations with the United States, the European Union and NATO. Thus, in the face of tensions in their relationships, we choose not to take sides. We build our foreign policy around concrete issues,” the Armenian President said.

In this context, President Sargsyan cited the UN General Assembly Resolution on Crimea. “Armenia voted against the measure, but not because Russia did the same. As you know, there is the issue of Nagorno Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region that declared independence from Azerbaijan. For us, the right to self-determination of peoples is a fundamental principle. We reject the approach which requires asking permission before exercising this universally recognized principle,” he stated.

“I remember Europe unconditionally supporting the right to self-determination amid the collapse of the USSR. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine became independent during that process. Does it follow that we should support this right in case of large territorial units, such as the USSR, but not in case of smaller units? Wes should remember the independence of Kosovo: there is no difference in case of Nagorno Karabakh,” he said.

Asked whether there is no difference even between Kosovo and Crimea, President Sargsyan noted “I have no right to judge the case of Crimea. But it is evident that the right to self-determination has been exercised. In any case, we do not see a contradiction between the right to self-determination and the principle of territorial integrity. They are both founding principles of the Charter of the United Nations. ”

Dwelling on the prospects of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the Armenian President expressed skepticism over a possibility of a rapid solution and partially so becasue of Turkey's support of Azerbaijan's bellicose stance.

“Also, there is the issue of the Armenian Genocide, which marks the centenary in 2015 and which Turkey continues to deny. I am optimistic that one day Turkey will come to terms with its history by recognizing the Genocide.” “I invited Turkish President Erdogan to attend the commemoration events, but I doubt he will,” the Armenian leader said. .