Armenia should recognize Nagorno Karabakh before the 20th anniversary of independence referendum - Raffi Hovhannisian

Opposition Heritage party leader Raffi Hovhannisian called Friday a news conference to express his discontent over the parliament's disapproval of his party's draft law on recognizing the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

"I can speak further of my emotions, but life is a struggle and we must keep fighting," he said.

Hovhannisian particularly regretted that among parliament members voting against the bill were people who participated in the heroic battle of Artsakh.

He stressed the importance of Armenia's recognizing Nagorno Karabakh before the 20th anniversary of the independence referendum in the country. Otherwise, he said, the process may linger, repeating the history of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

"We don’t need Azerbaijan's consent to make such decision. The NKR authorities must clearly identify what they want from Armenia and the world community," Hovhannisian said.

He believes that the National Assembly speaker instructed the parliament members to reject the bill, while their party was asked that the voting be postponed until after the OSCE Summit in Astana.

He also complained about the political majority's predominance in the country's political life.
"Politics is a dynamic process, and no one should get the best of the situation," he added.