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.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress