British politician: It's time to recognize Nagorno Karabakh as an independent state

It's time to recognize Nagorno Karabakh as an independent state, said a human rights barrister, top QC Geoffrey Robertson at an international conference Artsakh Liberation Struggle: From Gulistan Till Our Days that has kicked off in Stepanakert.

He said that the international legislation is developing a clause stipulating for bypassing of the territorial integrity principle where a crime against humanity was perpetrated. As he noted, the international law provides a right for secession when the nation's fundamental rights are violated.  He said that Nagorno Karabakh became part of Azerbaijan as a result of historical injustice.  "It's time to recognize Nagorno Karabakh as an independent state," he said and recalled Monaco and Liechtenstein and even Vatican.  

He recalled the final criteria of statehood set in the Montevideo Convention: permanent population, a defined territory; government; and capacity to enter into relations with the other states. Nagorno-Karabakh has all criteria to be named an independent state, he said for conclusion. 



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