Armenian Commission to Debate Law Recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh on May 16

An Armenian parliamentary commission on foreign affairs will debate a draft law recognizing the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s independence, head of the commission Artak Zakaryan told local media Saturday.

YEREVAN (Sputnik) – The Armenian government reviewed and submitted to lawmakers the bill to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on May 5.

"There will be a session on Monday and the commission’s findings will be submitted to parliament," Zakaryan told the Panorama.am news portal.

After submission, parliamentary regulations allow for the draft bill to be added to the Armenian National Assembly’s four-day agenda. The regulation allows lawmakers to either add the bill on the agenda, reject, or postpone it.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh erupted in 1988, when the autonomous region populated by mostly Armenians sought to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The warring sides agreed to a cessation of hostilities in 1994.

The situation in the mountainous region deteriorated in April, with Armenian and Azerbaijani sides accusing each other of provocations and attacks. On April 5, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire in Moscow under the Russian mediation.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is scheduled to visit Vienna on May 16 for talks on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.