NKR welcomes referendum on South Sudan's self-determination

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic issued a statement concerning the referendum on the self-determination of South Sudan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Republic of Artsakh) welcomes the referendum on the self-determination of South Sudan. The referendum in South Sudan testifies that the recognition and realization of peoples’ inalienable right to self-determination is the most optimal and democratic way of the peaceful settlement of similar conflicts. The conflicts between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Indonesia and East Timor were settled in the same way.

The NKR MFA emphasizes with satisfaction the position of the international community, which has exerted corresponding pressure on the central government in Khartoum and once again expressed its support of the implementation of nations’ right to self-determination as the basis for the declaration and further official recognition of the state independence.

The NKR MFA expresses hope that the referendum in South Sudan will result in the establishment of long-term peace and stability, which will allow to direct efforts to constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries of the region.
The NKR Foreign Ministry expects fair and firm consistency by the world powers in applying the same approach in relation to the Azerbaijani-Karabakhi and other similar conflicts, in the spirit of the modern tendencies of applying the international law and in accordance with the UN General Assembly’s December 2009 Resolution on the “Peoples’ Universal Right to Self-Determination”. In this connection, the NKR MFA reminds that the people of Artsakh enjoyed its right to self-determination yet in 1991, having declared for independence at the referendum, and confirmed its will in 2006, when adopting the NKR Constitution.

Тhe ignoring of the Nagorno Karabakh people’s right to independence by Azerbaijan and the international community's inaction led to Azerbaijan's full-scale aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, as a result of which tens of thousands of people were killed, hundreds of thousands underwent ethnic cleansings and deportations and became victims of the human rights' mass violations.

The international recognition of the results of the actually expressed will of the people of Artsakh is the shortest way to settle the Azerbaijani-Karabakhi conflict, to consolidate the stability and security of the South Caucasian region and to create corresponding conditions for establishing civilized relations between the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The NKR Foreign Office states that people’s freedom and security are the supreme values in the modern world. Any efforts to impede the realization of the basic human rights should be considered regardless of the political conjuncture and should be given an unambiguous and strict assessment by the international community.