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VARTAN OSKANIAN: BEHAVIOR OF LEVON-TER-PETROSYAN IS "IMMORAL"
armradio.am
13.02.2008 14:02
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian described as "immoral"
the behavior of the presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who
speculates in the process of the pre-election campaign with the use
of the so-called "Meghri variant" of the Karabakh settlement. The
Foreign Minister said this on air of "Shant" TV on February 12.
"What Ter-Petrosyan is doing is a cheap pre-election trick,
this is immoral. And when he tries to relate his statements to the
terrorist act in the Armenian parliament, it becomes clear to me that
Ter-Petrosyan will stop at nothing, and we will yet have the chance
to make sure of that," Vartan Oskanian stated.
The Minister stressed that the document, which was published last
week by "Haykakan Zhamanak" newspaper and which Levon Ter-Petrosyan
referred to during his latest rally, has never been a topic for
negotiation on the settlement.
"The idea of exchanging Meghri for Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to a
retired US diplomat Paul Goble, the roots of which drive back to
early 1990s. I clearly remember that in 1994 the given idea was
discussed with the participation of the Armenian President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, who stated at one of the meetings that the proposal
could be interesting, if Armenia also gained the North part of
Nakhichevan. However, I do not assert that Ter-Petrosyan was ready
top exchange Meghri for Nagorno-Karabakh," Vartan Oskanian stated.
The Foreign Minister said that in the course of 10 years of Robert
Kocharyan's rule, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs made 3 official
proposals on the settlement: the "Common state" conception, a plan,
which was discussed in Key West, and the latest proposal, based on
the "Prague principles." "I declare with all responsibility that in
either of those proposals, there is no notion of handing Meghri over
to Azerbaijan. Being the chief negotiator from the Armenian side,
Inever held such talks," Vartan Oskanian stressed.
According to the Foreign Minister, at different points various plans
on settlement were proposed, the authors of which were independent
states or groups of people. "I have many such proposals in my box, but
this does not mean that all of them became topics for negotiations,"
Vartan Oskanian stated. He made it clear that the document, which
Levon Ter-Petrosyan refers to, is a proposal, belonging to this
very category.
"The Armenian side repulsed with such determination all the
conversation on Meghri that after 2000 no one dared to forward this
topic again," Armenian Foreign Minister stated.
armradio.am
13.02.2008 14:02
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian described as "immoral"
the behavior of the presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who
speculates in the process of the pre-election campaign with the use
of the so-called "Meghri variant" of the Karabakh settlement. The
Foreign Minister said this on air of "Shant" TV on February 12.
"What Ter-Petrosyan is doing is a cheap pre-election trick,
this is immoral. And when he tries to relate his statements to the
terrorist act in the Armenian parliament, it becomes clear to me that
Ter-Petrosyan will stop at nothing, and we will yet have the chance
to make sure of that," Vartan Oskanian stated.
The Minister stressed that the document, which was published last
week by "Haykakan Zhamanak" newspaper and which Levon Ter-Petrosyan
referred to during his latest rally, has never been a topic for
negotiation on the settlement.
"The idea of exchanging Meghri for Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to a
retired US diplomat Paul Goble, the roots of which drive back to
early 1990s. I clearly remember that in 1994 the given idea was
discussed with the participation of the Armenian President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, who stated at one of the meetings that the proposal
could be interesting, if Armenia also gained the North part of
Nakhichevan. However, I do not assert that Ter-Petrosyan was ready
top exchange Meghri for Nagorno-Karabakh," Vartan Oskanian stated.
The Foreign Minister said that in the course of 10 years of Robert
Kocharyan's rule, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs made 3 official
proposals on the settlement: the "Common state" conception, a plan,
which was discussed in Key West, and the latest proposal, based on
the "Prague principles." "I declare with all responsibility that in
either of those proposals, there is no notion of handing Meghri over
to Azerbaijan. Being the chief negotiator from the Armenian side,
Inever held such talks," Vartan Oskanian stressed.
According to the Foreign Minister, at different points various plans
on settlement were proposed, the authors of which were independent
states or groups of people. "I have many such proposals in my box, but
this does not mean that all of them became topics for negotiations,"
Vartan Oskanian stated. He made it clear that the document, which
Levon Ter-Petrosyan refers to, is a proposal, belonging to this
very category.
"The Armenian side repulsed with such determination all the
conversation on Meghri that after 2000 no one dared to forward this
topic again," Armenian Foreign Minister stated.