VARTAN OSKANIAN: “ARMENIA HAS ALREADY MADE ITS PART OF COMPROMISE”
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 13 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “The most pivot
problem today is the issue of the right to self-determination of the
Artsakh people.
This has already become irrevocable: Azerbaijan will touch upon that
issue, no means, it wants or doesn’t,” Foreign Minister of Armenia
Vartan Oskanian stated in the March 10 interview to the “Shant”
TV company. According to him, Azerbaijani’s “being maximal” will be
decided just within the framework of discussing the self-determination
issue.” Thus, if Azerbaijan doesn’t yeild in that issue, then this
means that this country still remains on its maximalistic position
which won’t bring to the problem solution. From its side, Armenia has
already made its part of the compromise. I don’t even know how our
people will accept that,” the Minister emphasized. According to him,
the general interests, prospects of development of the country as
well as problems of the regional peace must be taken into account in
this case. “I think that the one that is put on the negotiation table
and to what we gave an agreement, is a bordering state for us, far of
what Armenia has really no place to go. Azerbaijan hasn’t come up to
this bordering line yet. So, today many things depend on Azerbaijan,”
Vartan Oskanian stated. According to him, today Azerbaijan must be able
to make its part of compromises. He accused the President of Azerbaijan
of making warlike statements and mentioned that this doesn’t support
creation of a peaceful atmosphere and the problem settlement. “It’s
right, we can suppose that similar statements are addressed to their
society but we must also accept those statements by their value. And
if we made sure that Azerbaijan is serious in its statements, I think,
we must change our defensive strategy and create possibilities to
always keep Azerbaijan in a defensive state. As we can’t wait for when
Azerbaijan will become strong and when it will attack,” the Minister
emphasized. According to Vartan Oskanian, first of all Azerbaijan
isn’t ready for the war. If they aren’t able to risk and solve the
issue in the way of compromise, then they will never take the risk to
solve the issue in the way of war. “The Azeris have much to get in
the way of negotiations, and they’ll give what they know well that
they have lost. Factually, they are in the role of the one to get,
and in the case of the war Azerbaijan may have much more losses,”
the Foreign Minister of Armenia stated.