Armenia has all the grounds for recognizing the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s independence and calling on other nations to do the same, Giro Manoyan, Head of the Hay Dat (Armenian Cause) office, Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), told NEWS.am., commenting on the verdict by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

All the political grounds for Armenia – if willing – to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence and apply to other nations for doing it, without being afraid they will act in defiance of international law, Manoyan said. According to him, the ICJ verdict may be of benefit to the Nagorno-Karabakh process.

The nations that recognized Kosovo, South Ossetia and Abkhazia said the same by recognizing them. The ICJ first of all ruled that the Kosovo precedent is in conformity with international law, which, in turn, does not in any way prohibit the recognition of independence, Manoyan said. He pointed out that, if the ICJ verdict is applied to Nagorno-Karabakh, the international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh does not at all require Azerbaijan’s consent. Armenian diplomacy, as well as public and political organizations, which aim at getting the NKR internationally recognized, should stress the fact that Nagorno-Karabakh seceded from Azerbaijan not only under international law, but also under USSR laws. The recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh must not be linked to that of Kosovo, Manoyan said.

As to whether Armenia’s recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh may be of benefit to the peace process, Manoyan said that Armenia’s de jure recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence is more dependent on the state of the negotiating process. That is, if the negotiations reach a stalemate – if, for example, Azerbaijan refuses to accept the settlement principles – Armenia can recognize Nagorno-Karabakh, Manoyan concluded.