NAGORNO-KARABAKH MILITARY LEADER: NO NEED FOR PEACEKEEPERS
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire
April 19, 2006 Wednesday
STEPANAKERT April 19
The commander of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army said on Tuesday
he did not see any need to station a peacekeeping force in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
“The Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh is the best peacekeeper and
guarantor of peace in the conflict zone,” Seiran Oganian told a news
conference in Stepanakert.
He also said proposals by the Azerbaijani leadership for resolving the
conflict in a military way were designed to strengthen the Azerbaijani
leaders’ domestic positions.
“However, there may arise a situation where we will be forced to take
preventive measures. I don’t want to speak about the possibility of
a pre-emptive attack, but I can speak about some measures to prevent
a possible threat,” he said.
He expressed skepticism about the reported enlargement of Azerbaijan’s
military budget. “It’s one thing to increase the military budget but a
completely different thing to make effective use of available funds,”
he said.
“Our borders are safely equipped, which includes provision with
engineering and landmine systems. In addition, not only regular
but also irregular rapid reaction units are in their third year of
existence,” Oganian said.
“Nagorno-Karabakh will fight for every centimeter of its land. And we
are sure that the process of conflict settlement must result either in
the recognition of the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
or, which is the dream of every Armenian, the recognition of Nagorno-
Karabakh as part of Armenia,” he said.
Oganian said the Defense Army would hold the final stage of a command
post exercise on Wednesday and Thursday whose main purpose is “to
improve the ability of the leadership to command the organization
and implementation of military operations.”