Armenian Defense Minister criticized for statements regarding Karabakh settlement

Regnum, Russia
March 17 2006

Armenian volunteers, who participated in Karabakh war called
“treacherous and immoral” statements of Armenian National Security
Secretary and Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisyan. He said that
“during the war, Armenia destroyed the enemy, and not liberated the
territories,” and used the term “security zone” instead of “liberated
territories.” Position of Armenian veterans was announce on March
16, during a round table conference in Yerevan, informed Assistant
coordinator of the public initiative “In defense of liberated
technologies” Armen Yegyan.

He said that Sarkisyan’s statements made at a meeting with army command
“demoralize officers, and presume return of liberated territories to
Azerbaijan.” According to ex-commander of Special Forces battalion
Girar Sefilyan “Sarkisyan must be dismissed by political means, using
opposition forces,” because “with such government, Armenia will not
be capable to conduct warfare,” thinks Sefilyan.

According to ex-Prime Minister MP Vazgen Manukyan, Sarkisyan “had no
authority to make such statements”. He said that the statements are
“directed to the West, and aims only to preserve power”, and noted,
that “return of liberated territories is impossible, because it can
happen only after the recognition of Nagorno Karabakh independence,
that is unacceptable to Azerbaijan”. He said that warfare can
recommence only if Azerbaijan feels stronger, and Armenia – weaker,
but in next 3-4 years it will not take place. “Armenian authorities
simply threaten the people with possibility of warfare recommence,
to prevent it we must compromise”, said Manukyan.

According to ex-Minister of Defense Vagarshak Arutyunyan, “if the
return of occupied territories is Armenian concession, than Azerbaijan
must return Artsvashen to Armenia and several occupied regions
to Nagorno Karabakh, and because of this, the question was never
raised at the negotiations on Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement,”
said Arutyunyan.