Sharmazanov: The non-recognition of Artsakh casts doubt on the  legitimacy of the self-determination of the Union republics, some of  which are members of the EU

ArmInfo. Artsakh self-determined not from Azerbaijan, but from the Soviet Union.  Edward Sharmazanov, the vice speaker of the Armenian parliament, press secretary of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, stated this at a press conference in Yerevan on December 27 summing up the results of the outgoing year.

The vice-speaker of the Armenian parliament once again reminded that  Nagorno-Karabakh was never part of independent Azerbaijan. "Artsakh  self-determined before the collapse of the Soviet Union, on the same  legal grounds as the other member states of the USSR, including the  three that are now members of the European Union - Latvia, Lithuania,  Estonia, as well as Armenia and Georgia. how did it happen that this  right is recognized with respect to the union republics, and  Artsakh's attitude is not. "The non-recognition of Artsakh casts  doubt on the legitimacy of the self-determination of the union  republics, including those that are members of the EU," the  parliamentarian said.

At the same time, Sharmazanov recalled that the Armenian side  repeatedly stressed that, in order to effectively resolve the  Karabakh conflict, it is first of all necessary to eliminate its  causes, not consequences. "The basis of the OSCE mediation mission is  to achieve international recognition of Artsakh." The theme of the  ongoing negotiations is the recognition by the international  community of the independence of Artsakh, the final determination of  the fate of the Artsakh people," the vice-speaker said.  In this  context, he also recalled that in the new Armenia-EU framework  agreement there is a provision on Nagorno-Karabakh, where it is  clearly stated that the EU countries recognize the settlement of the  conflict on the basis of the three known principles - the non-use of  force, the territorial integrity of the peoples' right to  self-determination.