ACCORDING TO ARMEN ASHOTIAN, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS INTERESTED IN PRESERVATION OF STATUS QUO IN NAGORNO KARABAKH PROBLEM
Petrosian Susanna

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 26 2007

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. "Irrespective of international
diplomatic developments proceeding around the Nagorno Karabakh problem,
we should state that the whole international activity is aimed at
not settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, as it is declared
publicly, but at giving an international status, recognition to already
settled problem." Armen Ashotian, a member of the RA National Assembly
RPA faction, stated at a discussion dedicated to regional problems.

According to him, the international community has finally realized that
all possible plans of NKR’s return under Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction have
no prospects. A. Ashotian said that the international process around
Nagorno Karabakh is aimed at preservation of the current NKR status:
"all roads lead to status quo."

According to him, there are several preconditions for such an approach:
necessity of "peaceful co-existence" of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
and a number of energy projects, first of all Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline, absence of new regional megaprojects, NKR’s being secondary
as a bridgehead in case of possible operations against Iran, the
circumstance of being intercommunicated with neighboring regions.

It should be mentioned that the discussion was organized by the
Analytical Center for Globalization and Regional Cooperation and the
Friedrich Ebert Foundation.