From French Parliament to the British "Chatham House": NKR Recent Gains

• 07.03.2015, 11:59
•  Europe,  Region,  World,  NKR

Photo by Haykaram Nahapetyan

British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Irfan Sidigin was called yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, on the occasion that the Royal Institute of International Affairs in Great Britain, the ''Chatham House'' invited the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan and other high-ranking officials to speak on the NKR conflict and the regional tensions.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov expressed protest on behalf of the Azerbaijani government on the NKR President's visit to ''Chatham House''.

Chatham House is located in London, and its mission is to analyze and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs. It is ranked the second most influential think-thank in the world after the Brookings Institution, and the world's most influential non-U.S..

The NKR President Bako Sahakyan will present a brief report on the internal political situation, as well as give his views on the regional security and regional players on 8th of July, after which a one-hour question-and-answer discussion will follow.

It should be mentioned that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has been quite successful recently in the international arena, creating new connections with other countries and making good friendships.

Bako Sahakian's visit to France in May, for example, is quite memorable as he signed there a cooperation agreement between the French city Sarselle and Martakert. At the end of the last year,  there was a similar agreement between the French town of Bourg Bel Air and the capital of NKR Stepanakert, let alone that Bourg de Valance and Shushi even became sister-cities. All of this, of course, according to the President, was extremely important for the development of the cities of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the NKR-France relations.

In this context the inter-parliamentary relations between these two countries should also be noted, taking into account the recent meetings held between the French and NKR MPs. In fact, these meetings were often initiated by French, let alone their participation in the last parliamentary elections of the NKR.

The relations between Artsakh and the USA have also been improved recently, considering the fact that five American states already recognized the NKR as an independent republic. These states are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Louisiana and California.

The most interesting thing is that in the city of Watertown, Massachusetts, there is a street named "Artsakh", where, by the way, St Stephens Armenian church is located.