Unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic rules out possibility of joining Azerbaijan

YEREVAN. April 14 (Interfax) - The unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) has viewed any discussion on the possibility of being part of Azerbaijan as unacceptable.

"Artsakh [the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh] has never been and will never be part of Azerbaijan. Any such discussion is unacceptable for us. This is a 'redline' that no one has the right to breach," the speaker of the NKR parliament, Artur Tovmasyan, said at an extraordinary session of the legislative body on Thursday evening.

The deputies of the Karabakh parliament adopted a statement in which they demanded that the Armenian authorities "abandon their destructive position of lowering the bar of negotiations under the pretext of peace, agreeing to the unacceptable status of Artsakh."

The international community "clearly tells us that being the only country that does not recognize the territorial integrity of Turkey's ally, Azerbaijan, means putting not only Artsakh but also Armenia in great danger," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a speech in the parliament on Wednesday.

"Today, the international community again tells us to lower the bar a little regarding the status of Nagorno-Karabakh in order to ensure broad international consolidation around Armenia and Artsakh. Otherwise, the international community is asking us not to count on them," Pashinyan said.

He also said that Armenia and Azerbaijan should sign a peace agreement as soon as possible. Armenia has no territorial claims to Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said, adding that the Karabakh issue is not a territorial issue but a legal one.

Pashinyan's statements have caused concern in the NKR. NKR leader Arayik Harutyunyan held an emergency meeting involving various parliamentary forces, the foreign minister and the Security Council secretary.