“The latest statement issued by the International Crisis Group (ICG) has inherited negative aspects of the Azerbaijan-Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The authors attempt to represent the conflict as a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan and level NKR’s importance in the settlement process. They also hush up the problem of Armenian refugees and NKR occupied territories (Shahumyan region and a part of Martakert and Martuni regions),” says NKR Foreign Ministry’s statement on Nagorno Karabakh: Risking War report.
“The ICG presses for soonest signature of an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan without NKR’s participation and assures Armenia and Karabakh that war will appear as inevitable alternative to such a hasty agreement.
“The ICG represents the idea of granting a status to Nagorno Karabakh as positive factor and concession. However, it’s noteworthy that the Group’s Breaking the Kosovo Stalemate: Europe’s Responsibility, Europe Report N°185, 21 August 2007, says that any scenario supposing delay of the province’s independence “would be considered as act of perfidy against the people.”
“The ICG report on Nagorno Karabakh neglects logic and principles applied to Kosovo. ICG’s reports on Kosovo state strong necessity of soonest recognition of independence, since it’s the best way to prevent escalation of the conflict. Meanwhile, the same argumentation perfectly fits the Azeri-Karabakh conflict as well.
“Admitting that Azerbaijan is the only threat to peace in the region, the authors of the report, nevertheless, offer Karabakh to make one-sided concessions. Such an approach proves that the ICG doesn’t realize the amount of responsibility the mediating individuals and organizations assume,” the NKR MFA statement says.
