R. Safrastyan: Right of self-determination prioritized in Cyprus

The statements by the Armenian and Cyprian Presidents testify to high-level allied relations, Ruben Safrastyan, Director of Department of Turkish Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Armenian National Academy of Sciences, told a news conference.

He attached importance to development of high-level cooperation with Cyprus, member state of the European Union.

Commenting upon Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to Cyprus in terms of Nagorno Karabakh settlement, Safrastyan said:

“It was the first time when in the bilateral official document the sides agree that the right of self-determination, formulated in the document as the right to free will, should be compulsory in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process. It is a very important formulation.”

“It is important that Cyprus having its own problem, seeking to resolve it on the basis of the principle of territorial integrity, in fact accepted the priority of the right of self-determination in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement,” expert said in his remarks.