‘Nagorno Karabakh Must Be the Primary Subject of Peace Process’ Say Prominent International Scholars

BRUSSELS””On February 27 the European Parliament deputies Michèle Rivasi (Verts/A LE) and Lars Adaktusson (EPP) hosted a public debate featuring prominent international scholars and diplomats who examined developments in international law, the status of the negotiations, and recommendations for achieving a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Speakers included Dr. Alfred de Zayas, UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Dr. Paul Williams, Professor of Law, American University’s Washington College of Law and co-founder of the Public International Law & Policy Group, Dr. Sergey Markedonov, associate Professor at Russian State University, Armine Aleksanyan, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Artsakh Republic and moderator Giro Manoyan, board Member of the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC). The event was co-organized by ALC, Tufenkian Foundation and the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD).

Held at the European Parliament, the debate reviewed the findings of a colloquium held on Feb. 26-27 at the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), with the participation of over a dozen distinguished international law experts and former diplomats. The colloquium was co-organized by the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights and the Tufenkian Foundation.

The findings of the colloquium included the following:

• Nagorno Karabakh must be the primary subject and not the object of the peace process;
• Under well-established international legal precedents, people, including those in Nagorno Karabakh, have the right to declare independence;
• Under international law there is a duty not to respond with violence to a declaration of independence;
• Nagorno Karabakh is a functioning state based on the concept of earned sovereignty, since it has institutional capacity, a democratically elected government, control of its borders and a functioning civil society;
• International community should actively engage with Nagorno Karabakh regardless of its status;
• International law provides a framework, but by itself cannot serve as sole tool for resolving conflicts, one cannot ignore the role politics plays in a conflict resolution;
• Confidence-building is a key tool to peace and a final resolution;
• Escalation of Armenophobic rhetoric and war-mongering are not acceptable and must be discouraged, incitement to violence and hatred is prohibited by international law.

During his presentation Dr. de Zayas stressed that self-determination of peoples often misinterpreted as destabilizing, is in fact a crucial component of regional and international stability. Commenting on the four-day war in April 2016, he noted: “Azerbaijan’s aggression in April 2016 constituted a breach of peace and must be condemned as a violation of the UN Charter.”