Armenia not interested in breaking cease-fire with Azerbaijan – minister
Aravot, Yerevan
24 Mar 05 p 3
The Armenian defence minister has dismissed Azerbaijani accusations
that Armenia is breaking the cease-fire in the conflict over Nagornyy
Karabakh. Serzh Sarkisyan told journalists that the Armenian side
was holding the positions it took back in 1994 and did not need to
open fire and advance on the front line. Describing as nothing new
remarks by the Azerbaijani leadership about the possible resumption
of hostilities, he warned the Azerbaijani defence minister that “war
is not a piece of cake”. Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan hoped that
the bellicose statements from Azerbaijan were for local consumption
only. Serzh Sarkisyan also said that a report on Armenia’s national
security would be published within a month. The following is the
text of Margarit Yesayan’s report in Armenian newspaper Aravot on
24 March headlined “How real is the danger of war? Defence Minister
Serzh Sarkisyan and Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan comment on this”;
subheadings have been inserted editoria! lly:
No weapons smuggled from Armenia to USA
Yesterday [23 March] Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan confirmed once
again that the criminal group arrested in the USA had not exported
weapons from Armenia. The minister said that to date the investigation
did not have any facts or evidence that weapons had been exported
from Armenia to the USA or other states. Declaring that he did not
know the details of the case, he added that it was important for him
to keep weapons and ammunition safe.
Armenia not interested in breaking cease-fire
Journalists also touched on bellicose statements from the Azerbaijani
side and on statements that allegedly the Armenian side is breaking
the cease-fire on the border. Serzh Sarkisyan replied: “It is obvious
to anyone who knows the ins and outs of the Karabakh conflict that the
Armenian side does not need to fire at all, the Armenian side has no
problem to settle, the Armenian side does not have a problem moving
ahead or improving its positions because back in 1994 it improved
its positions, that is to say, it took the positions that it thought
the most advantageous. Although the Azerbaijani defence minister
may say that Armenia is to blame for all this or initiated this,
it is evident that this is a lie and a slur.”
In his latest speeches Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar Abiyev has
not ruled out a resumption of full-scale war and the Azerbaijani
president has been saying the same. Serzh Sarkisyan said this is
nothing new: “But I want these people to remember once and for all
that war is not a piece of cake [literally, that no-one gives out
pilaff in a war]. I would like Safar Abiyev to remember his past,
I think this will be very useful for him. As for the Azerbaijani
president, owing to certain circumstances I cannot allow myself to
comment on what he said.”
Evidently, the “certain circumstances” are that Ilham Aliyev is the
president of Azerbaijan and, if necessary, the Armenian president
will respond to him.
New national security blueprint to be published soon
Asked about the prospects of Armenian-Russian relations deepening from
the national security point of view, Serzh Sarkisyan replied that a
report “On the national security of the Republic of Armenia”, which he
had delivered to the top brass, would soon be published. The defence
minister said that the report presented the threats to Armenia’s
security and ways to neutralize them. The report also touches on
Armenia’s attitude to NATO, Russia, the European Union and the USA. The
full version of the concept will be ready and published in a month.
No good to come of Azerbaijani sabre-rattling
In his turn Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan also said
that the aggressive statements of the Azerbaijani side would lead
to nothing: “These statements will lead to nothing positive and
Azerbaijan should understand this.” Are Ilham Aliyev’s and other
Azerbaijani officials’ bellicose statements only for local consumption
or are they more serious and would it be wrong to ignore them? Vardan
Oskanyan hopes that they are for local consumption: “Let us hope they
are for local consumption and that the Azerbaijanis themselves do not
believe what they are saying. We have said many times that Azerbaijan
has already made a mistake twice in this matter, we think that the
third mistake will be the last.”
No “crude violation” of human rights in Armenia
We noticed that on 14 March, when he made a speech to the UN Human
Rights Commission in Geneva, the Armenian foreign minister viewed
the genocide problem from the human rights’ standpoint. But are human
rights protected enough in Armenia? “I think they are well protected,
the situation is not perfect, we have much to do on this issue,
but I would not say there is a crude violation of human rights in
our country.” We would like to remind Mr Oskanyan that in connection
with the April 2004 events alone [protests against President Robert
Kocharyan] 17 applications have been sent to the European Court of
Human Rights and their number will reach 30 by May. But there are
thousands of cases over which Armenian citizens are unable to apply
to the European Court.