BAKU POLICY DOES NOT PROMOTE PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT
Yerkir
26.10.2006 16:27
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – When speaking of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in an
interview to Jane’s Center, which holds military and political studies,
Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan expressed confidence that
"the conflict should be solved peacefully via compromises.
" However, in his opinion, Azerbaijan’s policy does not promote
it. "Today officials of Azerbaijan speak of resumption of
hostilities. Their military expenses doubled within the past year,"
Sargsyan noted. In his words, according to estimates of independent
experts, Azerbaijan is not able to solve the Karabakh issue by force
still. "If hostilities resume, Armenia will again have an upper hand,"
Serge Sargsyan said.
Speaking of oil revenues of Azerbaijan, which Baku intends to spend on
solution of the Karabakh issue, Serge Sargsyan reminded that in early
90s Azerbaijan had an advantage in number and arms, inherited from
the USSR. "In 1992 they surrounded Armenians of Karabakh and only a
few believed that we can succeed. Neither now, nor many years later
they will have the advantage, they had 14-15 years ago. Azeri option
of military solution of the Karabakh issue failed then and will fail
again. I hope that Azeri leaders will give up those approaches earlier
or later," Sargsyan underscored, reports RFE/RL.