PEOPLE OF KARABAKH ARE TO DECIDE THE POLITICAL STATUS THEY WANT TO LIVE IN FUTURE - SERZH SARGSYAN TELLS RUSSIAN PAPER
TERT.AM
13:21 ~U 04.02.13
The election campaign is under way in Armenia with the recent Gallup
Organization survey showing that 66% of voters are going to back the
incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan. What should Russia and the rest
world expect from Serzh Sargsyan? These are questions Armenia's
president answered in an interview to Russian Kommersant paper.
Referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process,
President Sargsyan stressed that people of Karabakh are the ones to
decide their fate.
"They are to decide in what political status they want to live in
future. It is a classic example of fight of people for their right to
self-determination and there is no argument that can claim why people
of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot use this right," he said, stressing that
all other issues are derivatives.
He said that it is necessary to reinforce international mechanisms to
set control over the arms in our region.
"We will continue negotiating with Azerbaijan. But it is not realistic
to expect any progress in such conditions. All those dealing with the
issue - Moscow, Washington, Paris [OSCE Minsk group co-chairing
countries' capitals] - know quite well why the solution to the
conflict has not been reached till now," Serzh Sargsyan said.
Asked what Russia can do for the settlement of the conflict, President
Sargsyan said Russia is an important mediator in the conflict,
together with France and the USA, and only thanks to Russia it was
possible to sign the 1994 cease-fire agreement.
Serzh Sargsyan reminded that they have tied serious hopes with
Russia's mediation on the highest level while at the last moment
Azerbaijan tried to insert changes in the already approved document.
"I am grateful to Russia's highest leadership for the successive
efforts to find ways for the settlement of the conflict. I am sure its
participation in the negotiations essentially cools down many hot
heads," Armenia's president said.
TERT.AM
13:21 ~U 04.02.13
The election campaign is under way in Armenia with the recent Gallup
Organization survey showing that 66% of voters are going to back the
incumbent president Serzh Sargsyan. What should Russia and the rest
world expect from Serzh Sargsyan? These are questions Armenia's
president answered in an interview to Russian Kommersant paper.
Referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process,
President Sargsyan stressed that people of Karabakh are the ones to
decide their fate.
"They are to decide in what political status they want to live in
future. It is a classic example of fight of people for their right to
self-determination and there is no argument that can claim why people
of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot use this right," he said, stressing that
all other issues are derivatives.
He said that it is necessary to reinforce international mechanisms to
set control over the arms in our region.
"We will continue negotiating with Azerbaijan. But it is not realistic
to expect any progress in such conditions. All those dealing with the
issue - Moscow, Washington, Paris [OSCE Minsk group co-chairing
countries' capitals] - know quite well why the solution to the
conflict has not been reached till now," Serzh Sargsyan said.
Asked what Russia can do for the settlement of the conflict, President
Sargsyan said Russia is an important mediator in the conflict,
together with France and the USA, and only thanks to Russia it was
possible to sign the 1994 cease-fire agreement.
Serzh Sargsyan reminded that they have tied serious hopes with
Russia's mediation on the highest level while at the last moment
Azerbaijan tried to insert changes in the already approved document.
"I am grateful to Russia's highest leadership for the successive
efforts to find ways for the settlement of the conflict. I am sure its
participation in the negotiations essentially cools down many hot
heads," Armenia's president said.