IT IS BETTER TO PRESERVE STATUS QUO

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[07:56 pm] 28 November, 2006

Today Vazgen Manoukyan, leader of NDU, announced that it is wrong to
go on compromise in connection with the Karabakh issue suggested by
the Minsk group Co-Chairs, especially taking into account the fact
that the Azeri side doesn’t want to compromise.

In his opinion, the European position doesn’t go in line with our
current interests.

Europe was built and survived on a few principles the most important
of which is the principle of regional wholeness. They have agreed
not to demand territories from each other.

Then Mr. Manoukyan added that Europe will get adjusted to the concept
of the territorial independence in the course of time. Thus, we must
attempt to preserve the current status.

While speaking of the interests of the West, Mr. Manoukyan noted that "they are content with the acting authorities" as
the latter don’t have any political asylum, and they can easily exert
pressure on them to make compromises in respect of the Karabakh issue.

Regardless of all above-mentioned factors, in Mr. Manoukyan’s opinion
Robert Kocharyan will not sign an agreement contradicting the interests
of Armenians and will not agree to give the lands to Azeris.

As for the membership of South Caucasian countries to the European
Union, Mr. Manoukyan claims that it is improbable in the forthcoming
20 – 30 years. It is not excluded that South Caucasus might not become
a member of the EU at all. He reminded of the problem of Turkey; in
case Turkey is not admitted to the EU, the issue of South Caucasus
membership will be closed down.

80 – 90 percent of the European values are admissible for Armenia. The
point is that the country must accept them willingly and not forcedly.