Panorama.am

18:33 01/12/06

DEFENSE MINISTER: THERE CAN BE NO WORD ABOUT KARABAKH
BEING PART OF AZERBAIJAN

Asked what is his assessment of Kocharyan-Aliev
meeting in Minsk, Serzh Sargsyan, defense minister,
said, `It’s better to ask that question to Robert
Kocharyan. I have not participated in the meeting.
However, Robert Kocharyan, and Aliev as well as
foreign agency heads of the two countries said it was
a normal meeting.’

Sargsyan believes that in this and other negotiations
there will be difficulties. `The solution will be
painful. If it were an easy issue, it would have been
solved long ago,’ he said.

Sargsyan also said he is not Nostradamus to say when
the conflict will be settled. `We also recognize the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan but we also
recognize the territorial integrity of Nagorno
Karabakh because both countries have been established
based on Soviet laws. There can be no word about
Karabakh being a part of Azerbaijan,’ the minister
said speaking about a statement by NATO which says the
alliance supports the territorial integrity principle
for the frozen conflicts in South Caucasus.
/Panorama.am/