RIA Novosti, Russia
May 12 2006

Armenian speaker denies Karabakh differences forced him out
16:16 | 12/ 05/ 2006

YEREVAN, May 12 (RIA Novosti) – The former speaker of the Armenian
parliament said Friday he had not quit his post over differences on
how to resolve a long-running territorial dispute with Azerbaijan.

Artur Bagdasaryan announced his resignation Friday after his party,
Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law), pulled out of the governing
coalition late on Thursday, citing pressure from the authorities.

“I have no disagreements with other senior officials on the
settlement of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict,” he said. “I think
negotiations on peaceful resolution and Armenia’s position are both
fairly constructive.”

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh – a
province in Azerbaijan with predominantly ethnic Armenian population
– first erupted in 1988, when Karabakh claimed independence from
Azerbaijan to join Armenia. A ceasefire was concluded in 1994,
leaving Nagorny Karabakh in Armenian hands, but tensions between
Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the world’s
largest regional security organization, conducted monitoring along
the disputed border in April after both sides traded allegations of
ceasefire violations.