Dominique de Buman: The people of Artsakh have every right to choose their destiny, like all other peoples of the world

ArmInfo. The people of Artsakh have every right to choose their own destiny. Said the chairman of the National Council of Switzerland, Dominique de Buman in Yerevan at a press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ara Babloyan.

Buman also stressed the fact that Armenia's independence was proclaimed during a serious ethnic conflict, during which both issues of territorial law as well as issues of the people's right to self-determination were encountered. "This issue should be resolved exclusively within the framework of negotiations, taking into account the UN conventions, the right of peoples to self-determination, together with representatives of the OSCE Minsk Group. The people of Nagorno-Karabakh have the right to choose their destiny, like all other peoples, only in this way can peace and stability be achieved in the region," Buman said. Buman also noted that in 2013 Switzerland recognized the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and hopes that such crimes will not be repeated in the future. However, as the speaker noted, it is very important that the Armenian government was ready to sign the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation protocols without any preconditions. "Switzerland can only regret that these protocols have not come into force, however, I am sure that through peaceful negotiations and discussions, it is possible to achieve mutual understanding," Buman said. At the same time, he stressed the fact that despite the blockade of Armenia's borders in the East and West, the republic fixes significant growth rates. Answering the question about how de Buman assesses the fact that the current president, Serzh Sargsyan, may become the next prime minister of Armenia, de Buman stated that Switzerland has never interfered in the affairs of other states. NA Speaker Ara Babloyan noted that one of the most important napkins discussed today was the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. "Armenia has always advocated that this issue be solved exclusively by peaceful means under the leadership of the OSCE Minsk Group," Babloyan said. He noted that the priority for the Armenian side in this issue is observance of human rights, as well as the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination. Babloyan highly noted the fact that Switzerland not only in 2013 adopted and condemned the Armenian Genocide, but also imposed punishment for his denial. The speaker also noted that an additional impetus for the development of the Armenian-Swiss relations is the holding of the Francophonie summit in Yerevan and the signing of a framework agreement between Armenia and the European Union. Today the delegation of Switzerland visited also the Memorial Complex of Genocide Victims "Tsitsernakaberd" and paid tribute to the memory of innocent victims. the genocide of 1915. Also, the Speaker of the Swiss Parliament spoke from the rostrum of the National Assembly of Armenia, and thenthe representatives of the delegation met with RA Speaker Ara Babloyan.