Raffi Hovhannisyan: Azerbaijan Committed Aggression Against Karabakh

Raffi Hovhannisyan, former Armenian foreign minister and leader of the "Heritage" party arrived in Baku to attend the 7th International Conference of Asian Political Parties. Speaking to reporters, he said, "The people of Nagorno-Karabakh have the right to self-determination, and I hope that we will be able to achieve peace and restore the relationship. I think this will happen when the parties understand that they are responsible for the entire region. Nagorno-Karabakh residents have an equal right to talk about their identity, and this right must be respected. We must respect the identity of the parties also in cultural heritage. At the same time, harsh words and accusations do not contribute to the peaceful settlement process."

"I understand the problems of 700,000 Azerbaijani refugees and the right of 400,000 Armenian refugees, who were expelled from Baku and Sumgait. They all have the right to return to their lands, including the Azerbaijanis in independent Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Armenians in Turkey. I am here to seek a solution to the conflict. This is my first visit to Baku, and I hope to visit the Armenian Church and meet with Armenians living in Baku, which are very few now," said Raffi Hovhannisyan.

Yesterday, at a press conference in Yerevan, Hovhannisyan threatened to expose the aggressive policy of Azerbaijan, but today, the tone of his speech was much softer. -03B-