VAZGEN MANUKYAN: "NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT NOT AN OBSTACLE TO ESTABLISH A NORMAL STATEHOOD"

Panorama.am
17:24 27/09/2007

"Armenia attained two advantages and two problems by gaining
the independence. One is the independence itself, which is both
an achievement and a problem, and the second is Nagorno Karabakh
conflict," Vazgen Manukyan, National Democratic Union (AJM) chairman,
told a meeting with reporters today also raising his amazement at some
people who say Armenia’s problems will be solved when Nagorno Karabakh
conflict is resolved. "I do not understand. Did Nagorno Karabakh
conflict hinder that we have had no single clean election since 1995
up to today…. Is it Nagorno Karabakh conflict that the residents
of Northern Avenue have been thrown out to streets or that Alexander
Arzumanyan, Jirair Sefilyan and Vardan Malkhasyan were sentenced?" In
his words we are unable to solve the problem of establishing a normal,
independent statehood not because of unresolved conflict of Karabakh,
but because of ourselves.