January 29, 2011 - 13:03 AMT
Edward Nalbandian: every conflict has its own peculiarities

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian doesn’t think Israel is ignoring any historical facts.

“Disregarding the historic roots of various issues is not useful for any settlement of any conflict, I believe. Another thing is that we should be looking into the future and searching for ways to settle the conflict, rather than creating new problems. Every conflict has its own peculiarities, its own roots and its own dynamics and its own progress, it has its own negotiation formats,” he told Russia Today.

“Therefore, comparing or drawing parallels is not entirely correct. But still there may be something typical to all the conflicts, and some similarities may be discussed and considered by the conflict’s participants. But I don’t think we should directly associate one conflict with another. Quite recently in Sudan, where a referendum took place and a new state is emerging, I was asked how it can impact the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and whether it may become an precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh. Well, of course it can. But there are lots of such examples. They are not few in number. Most UN member states can be viewed as a precedent, because practically all of them became independent states by using their right to self-determination. Therefore, the people of Nagorno Karabakh have the same rights to decide for themselves as any other country in the world,” Minister Nalbandian said.