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AZERBAIJAN WAITS FOR A REASON FOR WAR: ARMENIAN PRESIDENT
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Nov 9 2012
The Armenian president has accused Azerbaijan of being eager for
armed conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, vowing a
"disproportionate" response to Baku if a fight is started, speaking
to The Wall Street Journal.
"Unfortunately, I believe Azerbaijan is waiting for an occasion to
start a conflict," Serzh Sargsyan said on Nov. 8. "I am confident
such a mistake would harm the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia
but that the most harm would come to the people of Azerbaijan. ... We
won't stand aside when the population of Nagorno-Karabakh is going
to be destroyed."
Sargsyan said the Armenian government would continue to push for
a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, The Wall
Street Journal reported on Nov. 9 on its website. But he also tapped
the rising tensions in one of the world's key energy corridors.
Sargsyan said Armenia would strike Azerbaijan only if Nagorno-Karabakh
or Armenia were attacked but vowed that Yerevan's response would be
"disproportionately" strong.
He also warned that the prospect of a military strike against Iran,
with which Armenia shares a border, was an issue of "extreme concern"
which could set off a sequence of events that could also trigger a
conflict between Yerevan and Baku.
He said deeper international engagement in the region was vital to
help reduce tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. "If we had been
living in an isolated region where there was no international impact,
war would have already begun," he said. He also blamed Azerbaijan
for increasing the hatred against Armenians living in Azerbaijan.
"What is the reason for establishing such a xenophobic atmosphere and
hatred against Armenians in Azerbaijan?" Sargsyan said. "It is easier
to create such an atmosphere, to encourage hate speech, rather than
deal with the consequences of that atmosphere and turn the tide back."
Armenia-backed separatists seized Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan
in a war in the 1990s that left some 30,000 dead, and no final peace
deal has been signed since the cease-fire.
Friday, 9 November 2012
Hurriyet Daily News
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Nov 9 2012
The Armenian president has accused Azerbaijan of being eager for
armed conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, vowing a
"disproportionate" response to Baku if a fight is started, speaking
to The Wall Street Journal.
"Unfortunately, I believe Azerbaijan is waiting for an occasion to
start a conflict," Serzh Sargsyan said on Nov. 8. "I am confident
such a mistake would harm the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia
but that the most harm would come to the people of Azerbaijan. ... We
won't stand aside when the population of Nagorno-Karabakh is going
to be destroyed."
Sargsyan said the Armenian government would continue to push for
a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, The Wall
Street Journal reported on Nov. 9 on its website. But he also tapped
the rising tensions in one of the world's key energy corridors.
Sargsyan said Armenia would strike Azerbaijan only if Nagorno-Karabakh
or Armenia were attacked but vowed that Yerevan's response would be
"disproportionately" strong.
He also warned that the prospect of a military strike against Iran,
with which Armenia shares a border, was an issue of "extreme concern"
which could set off a sequence of events that could also trigger a
conflict between Yerevan and Baku.
He said deeper international engagement in the region was vital to
help reduce tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. "If we had been
living in an isolated region where there was no international impact,
war would have already begun," he said. He also blamed Azerbaijan
for increasing the hatred against Armenians living in Azerbaijan.
"What is the reason for establishing such a xenophobic atmosphere and
hatred against Armenians in Azerbaijan?" Sargsyan said. "It is easier
to create such an atmosphere, to encourage hate speech, rather than
deal with the consequences of that atmosphere and turn the tide back."
Armenia-backed separatists seized Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan
in a war in the 1990s that left some 30,000 dead, and no final peace
deal has been signed since the cease-fire.
Friday, 9 November 2012
Hurriyet Daily News