ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ADVOCATES COMPROMISED SOLUTION TO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Armenpress
Nov 28 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS: Armenian defense minister Serzh
Sarkisian assured today mothers of servicemen in the remote Noyemberian
region which borders Azerbaijan that hostilities were unlikely to
resume in the foreseeable future, though he added that the danger of
military actions resumption was not eliminated 100 percent.

Sarkisian said a defense minister should be prepared for a war to
start any minute. He said he himself and the army consider that war
may erupt any moment and they plan their activity accordingly.

Sarkisian spoke also about the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict reiterating his vision that it should be a compromised peace
deal. He said the ultimate goal is that people in Nagorno-Karabakh
live on their land safely.

He said this is possible only given that Nagorno-Karabakh will never
become subordinated to Baku. Another guarantee is that Karabakh
must not be an enclave inside Azerbaijan and must have an overland
connection with Armenia.

He said Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents were to meet today in
Minsk, on the sidelines of a CIS summit, to discuss the conflict
resolution.