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Karabagh leader skeptical about Kocharian - Aliev meeting

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  • Karabagh leader skeptical about Kocharian - Aliev meeting

    KARABAGH LEADER SKEPTICAL ABOUT KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MID-MAY MEETING

    Armenpress

    YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS: Nagorno Karabagh leader Arkady Ghukasian
    was skeptical today about a forthcoming meeting of Armenian and
    Azerbaijani presidents in mid-May for another round of talks on the
    Karabagh problem saying the more than a decade-long conflict could
    not be resolved without Karabagh's direct participation.

    "Azerbaijan's objection to Stepanakert's involvement in the
    negotiations is evidence of its reluctance to settle the conflict,'
    Ghukasian told reporters in Yerevan.

    Ghukasian described the official Baku's talk about going back to the
    1988 status quo as "absurd ." "The former Soviet Union fell apart,
    giving rise to independent republics, including also Armenia and
    Nagorno Karabagh, the situation has changed drastically. Azerbaijan
    should open its eyes and come to terms with the current situation,'
    Ghukasian speculated.

    Saying he was in favor of the stage-by-stage conflict resolution
    option, Ghukasian, nevertheless, argued that first Karabagh status
    must be determined. He also shrugged off Azerbaijan's attempts to
    advance its positions on the line of contact saying they do not pose
    any threat to Armenian forces.

    He also denied allegations that Armenia has softened its stance on the
    conflict. "We have always been saying that there is no alternatives
    to a compromise solution, unlike Azerbaijan that flatly rejects any
    such possibility,' he said.

    Karabagh leader also said that the upcoming parliamentary elections
    in Nagorno Karabagh "will be the most exemplary elections." "I am
    confident that the most democratic national elections in the pos-Soviet
    space are held in Nagorno Karabagh," he said, adding that he will not
    run for new presidency after his term in office is ended. "It is my
    duty to remain in Nagorno Karabagh and work for it," he concluded.
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