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Armenia backs Crimea's right to self-determination
Published time: March 21, 2014 23:42
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Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan (RIA Novosti/Tigran Mekhrabyan)
Armenia has backed Crimea's choice of joining Russia, supporting the
right to self-determination for the peninsula's population. In
response, Ukraine has recalled its ambassador to Armenia.
"Armenia's principled position on the right to self-determination
remains unchanged and has been repeatedly expressed over the years,"
Armenia's deputy foreign minister, Shavarsh Kocharyan, told Ukrainian
Ambassador Ivan Kukhta, as quoted by the Armenian Foreign Ministry's
press service.
The meeting, which took place in Armenia's capital of Yerevan, was
initiated by the Ukrainian side after Armenia's President Serzh
Sargsyan expressed support for the Crimean referendum, stating it was
justified.
Sargsyan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone
conversation that the Crimean referendum was a"model for the
realization of self-determination."
In response, Ukraine recalled its ambassador to Yerevan for
consultation on Friday.
Kiev also summoned Armenia's ambassador to Ukraine, Andranik Manukyan,
to express its concerns over Armenia's position on the referendum.
On Sunday, over 96 percent of voters taking part in the Crimean
referendum answered "yes" to the autonomous republic joining Russia.
The Crimean parliament also unanimously voted to integrate the region
into Russia.
On Friday, Russia finalized the legal process of taking Crimea under
its sovereignty, as President Putin signed a law amending the Russian
constitution to reflect the transition.
Earlier, Russian lawmakers ratified both the amendment and an
international treaty with Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which was
legally required for the incorporation.
The move has been met with an onslaught of international sanctions
against Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis.
Armenia has a strong stance of supporting self-determination.
During the confrontation over Nagorno-Karabakh, which broke out in
1988, the region - mostly populated by Armenians - sought independence
from Azerbaijan and announced its intention to join Armenia. In 1991,
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was founded. Azerbaijan tried to regain
control over the territory, and the conflict escalated into a
full-scale war which claimed the lives of around 30,000 people. The
conflict ended in 1994, with Nagorno-Karabakh's independence remaining
unrecognized and the region remaining a part of Azerbaijan, according
to Baku's legislation. Yerevan has been supporting the
Nagorno-Karabakh region, representing its interests in an official
capacity.
Since 1994, talks to determine the status of the disputed region have
been conducted within the framework of the Minsk Group of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The group
proposed the basic principles for a settlement of the conflict - known
as the Madrid document - in 2007.
http://rt.com/news/armenia-supports-crimea-referendum-473/
Published time: March 21, 2014 23:42
Get short URL
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan (RIA Novosti/Tigran Mekhrabyan)
Armenia has backed Crimea's choice of joining Russia, supporting the
right to self-determination for the peninsula's population. In
response, Ukraine has recalled its ambassador to Armenia.
"Armenia's principled position on the right to self-determination
remains unchanged and has been repeatedly expressed over the years,"
Armenia's deputy foreign minister, Shavarsh Kocharyan, told Ukrainian
Ambassador Ivan Kukhta, as quoted by the Armenian Foreign Ministry's
press service.
The meeting, which took place in Armenia's capital of Yerevan, was
initiated by the Ukrainian side after Armenia's President Serzh
Sargsyan expressed support for the Crimean referendum, stating it was
justified.
Sargsyan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone
conversation that the Crimean referendum was a"model for the
realization of self-determination."
In response, Ukraine recalled its ambassador to Yerevan for
consultation on Friday.
Kiev also summoned Armenia's ambassador to Ukraine, Andranik Manukyan,
to express its concerns over Armenia's position on the referendum.
On Sunday, over 96 percent of voters taking part in the Crimean
referendum answered "yes" to the autonomous republic joining Russia.
The Crimean parliament also unanimously voted to integrate the region
into Russia.
On Friday, Russia finalized the legal process of taking Crimea under
its sovereignty, as President Putin signed a law amending the Russian
constitution to reflect the transition.
Earlier, Russian lawmakers ratified both the amendment and an
international treaty with Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which was
legally required for the incorporation.
The move has been met with an onslaught of international sanctions
against Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis.
Armenia has a strong stance of supporting self-determination.
During the confrontation over Nagorno-Karabakh, which broke out in
1988, the region - mostly populated by Armenians - sought independence
from Azerbaijan and announced its intention to join Armenia. In 1991,
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was founded. Azerbaijan tried to regain
control over the territory, and the conflict escalated into a
full-scale war which claimed the lives of around 30,000 people. The
conflict ended in 1994, with Nagorno-Karabakh's independence remaining
unrecognized and the region remaining a part of Azerbaijan, according
to Baku's legislation. Yerevan has been supporting the
Nagorno-Karabakh region, representing its interests in an official
capacity.
Since 1994, talks to determine the status of the disputed region have
been conducted within the framework of the Minsk Group of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The group
proposed the basic principles for a settlement of the conflict - known
as the Madrid document - in 2007.
http://rt.com/news/armenia-supports-crimea-referendum-473/