Historically, Nagorno-Karabakh has never been part of Azerbaijan – either of the one formed at the point of the Turkish bayonet in 1918 or of the one formed after the USSR’s collapse – President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Bako Sahakyan stated in an interview with Interfax.

“As regards Soviet Azerbaijan, discussions of the problems at various international levels repeatedly indicated that a compulsory decision by the third country’s party body cannot, within international law, be viewed as a document with a probative force,” the NKR leader said.

President Sahakyan stressed that the NKR was formed in strict conformity with the basic principles of international law and USSR laws.

As to political grounds, since it was formed almost 20 years ago, the NKR has proved it is a full-fledged state, which has left Azerbaijan behind in its democratic development. “We achieved all this due to our own efforts, without outside assistance,” Sahakyan said.

The NKR leader underlined the paramount importance – both political and moral - of the World Court judgment on Kosovo, as well as its importance as a universal precedent. President Sahakyan stressed the judgment cannot be restricted to Kosovo alone.

“The International Court of Justice legally confirmed the fact that peoples’ right to self-determination and the exercise of this right do not run counter to any principle of international law, including the principle of territorial integrity,” the NKR leader said.

This judgment may be of great benefit, especially to Azerbaijan. It is necessary to realize the irreversibility of historical processes, assume a really constructive position in the negotiations and look to the future instead of tormenting your own people with illusions of the past, the NKR President said.

“We will continue our struggle to get our independence recognized regardless of whether other independent states are recognized or not. If the existing precedents play a positive role in this process, we will only welcome it,” the NKR leader said.