YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenia boycotted a North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) summit in Chicago this weekend in protest against a declaration adopted by the leaders of the alliance’s 28 member-states referring to the unresolved conflicts in Nagorno-Karabagh as well as Georgia and Moldova in a long list of security challenges facing the West. It seems to single out territorial integrity of internationally-recognized states as the guiding principle for their peaceful resolution.
“We remain committed in our support of the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova, and will also continue to support efforts towards a peaceful settlement of these regional conflicts, based upon these principles and the norms of international law, the United Nations Charter, and the Helsinki Final Act,” it says.
The document makes no references to people’s right to self-determination, which
has been championed by the Armenian side in the long-running international efforts to
resolve the Karabagh conflict. A combination of this principle and territorial integrity has been at the heart of Karabagh peace proposals made by mediating powers, notably the United States and France, over the past decade.
Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian, who represented Armenia at the summit, said the NATO summit aims for the adoption of a common assessment of conflicts in Moldova and the South Caucasus that “run counter to the principles of international mediation mandate on Nagorno Karabagh conflict settlement in [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] OSCE Minsk Group format.”
“Apart from harming Karabagh peace talks, this may pose a threat to the precarious
stability in the South Caucasus region in view of the unprecedented boosting of military spending and aggressive statements by Azerbaijani authorities.
Considering this, Armenian President resolved not to participate in Chicago meeting,” Nalbandian said, according to the Foreign Ministry statement.
