NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO SEEK INTL RECOGNITION – PRESIDENT

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
September 2, 2006 Saturday 8:36 PM MSK

Nagorno-Karabakh has a "supertask" of achieving international
recognition for its de facto independence, the president of the
Armenian-speaking enclave, which is marking the 15th anniversary of
its breaking away from Azerbaijan, announced on Saturday.

"Independence does not in any way mean that all the difficulties have
been overcome. Nagorno-Karabakh faces two supertasks: first of all,
to achieve peace, and, in this context, an agreement with Azerbaijan on
the settlement of the conflict; and, secondly, to achieve international
recognition for the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. I believe that we are
in a position to carry out both tasks," Arkady Gukasian told reporters
in the regional capital Stepanakert.

"We have achieved our goal of winning the war, we have built and are
building up a state. We have realized that we have not been wrong
because the proclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was the
only salvation for Nagorno-Karabakh," he said.

He also said "there are no Nostradamuses to give an exact answer to
the question whether there will be a war or not" but argued there
were no political, economic or psychological reasons for war today.

"I am absolutely sure that the resumption of hostilities would not
be in the interests of the international community today," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress