Ara Papian, “It is not a line of contact, but a border”
The press service of NKR Defense Army presents the situation along the line of contact between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces in a distorted way, says the head of Modus Vivendi Center.
"NKR Defense Army reported that from February 27 to March 5 Azerbaijan violated ceasefire about 240 times, firing 1200 shots at NKR positions. Exact wording is a vital tool of conveying a message for a diplomat, political figure and state body. They make their voice audible to public through words, and wrong wording is unacceptable," said Ara Papian.
"The Nagorno Karabakh Republic considers itself to be an independent country though I think that Karabakh is a part of Armenia. In both cases, NKR must have a state border with Azerbaijan and not a "line of contact." Hence, Azerbaijani firing at NKR positions should not be viewed as ceasefire violations but an attack on the NKR border," he said.
"Under international law, a border is a line that separates countries, states, or areas. However, when we say that Azerbaijan "attacked the NKR border" we underline that Azerbaijan and Karabakh are two different countries. But when we use the phrase "the line of contact," we admit that these are two areas of the same sovereignty controlled by two different groupings," said Ara Papian.
