YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS. Last April, the Azerbaijani aggression once again showed that the struggle for self-determination right of Artsakh people is the only right path today, like it was in 1988, Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan said in the Parliament.

Speaking on the views over the Karabakh conflict settlement during the pre-election campaign, the President said: “During the campaign, someone attributing the reputation of the Madrid document to himself acknowledged the paternity of only one paragraph of its 14 paragraphs, leaving the remaining orphans. Lets agree this is an unusual display of paternal duty, especially that this paragraph of the Madrid document caused serious questions. According to it, the legal status of Artsakh was to be determined by a plebiscite, in which regard the October 16, 1975 opinion of the International Court of Justice regarding Western Sahara was cited. A conclusion, which hasn’t been realized till now, a conclusion which has a solely advisory status.

What impact would have its linking of the NK conflict settlement with African decolonization issues, equaling a referendum with an consulting survey, we can only assume, because this harmful formulation was withdrawn for further working documents.

Instead, for the first time in the history of negotiations of the NK conflict settlement it was affirmed that the final legal status decision through the free expression of will of the Artsakh people will have a legally binding force. Meaning, binding also for Azerbaijan and guaranteed by the international community. Unlike the previous period, it was also affirmed in the working documents that Artsakh’s representatives will also have decisive voice in the settlement”.

The President emphasized that it is clearly and prominently being shaped as to what the political settlement of the Artsakh conflict will look like, in which regard the Azerbaijani president had publicly confessed, in a moment of honesty outburst, that mediators are forcing him to accept the independence of Nagorno Karabakh.

“This is the very essence of the negotiations process of the recent years. Last April, the Azerbaijani aggression once again showed that the struggle for the self determination right of the Artsakh people is the only correct path today, just like it was in 1988.

There is no alternative for the affirmation of security guarantee of Artsakh’s people and exercise of their self-determination right.

This stance is clearly expressed in the negotiations process. Formulations containing Double interpretations in this main provisions of the Artsakh conflict settlement are unacceptable for us”, he said.

“For the first time, both the self determination right of Artsakh, the legally binding expression of free will, and land connection between Artsakh and Armenia are affirmed in several joint statements of co-chairing country leaders. Meaning, this once again proves that the argument that Armenia is weakening it negotiations positions every year, doesn’t stand any criticism.

The conflict hasn’t been settled until now not because of Armenia or the international mediators, but because of Azerbaijan, which is failing the negotiations process, which is the supporter of maintaining the status quo and doesn’t hide it. For many times the Azerbaijani leadership has boasted that time is in their favor and as if Baku just needs to sit and wait when its oil-dollar feeding army will become so strong to solve the conflict in its favor.

All those who think that time is passing only on one side of the line of contact are gravely mistaken. We want the conflict to be settled peacefully as soon as possible, but we are also ready to defend our fatherland, our dignity and our freedom with any cost”, he said.