TURKISH BORDER SHOULD BE OPENED APART FROM KARABAKH ISSUE

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 2 2007

If the first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan runs in the
presidential election, the Karabakh issue may become one of the key
issues of the election campaign, says the leader of the Christian
Democratic Party Khosrov Harutiunyan who held a news conference on
October 2 at the Hayatsk club. The leader of the Christian Democratic
Party thinks the settlement of the Karabakh issue is crucial to
Armenia, both in a short-term and in a long-term perspective.

"And I think that everything should be done for a favorable resolution
of the Karabakh issue. But I want to use the terms and logic of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s famous article "War and Peace". The compromise is
not a choice between good and bad. It is a choice between the worse
and the worst, and the stronger benefits from a compromise. This
was written and this is acceptable. Now look, we are saying that
Azerbaijan is strong and is growing stronger. Now I am asking myself
whether it means that Armenia cannot have an adequate participation in
the talks. I am sorry but I have to say yes," Khosrov Harutiunyan says.

He says the Karabakh issue should be resolved but not at any price.

The leader of the Christian Democratic Party says the peace settlement
of the Karabakh conflict has a special importance to Armenia. But it
is not only Armenia’s problem. "It is a regional problem. In addition,
Armenia’s political problem number 1 should be the Armenian-Turkish
border. Will the Armenian and Turkish border open? I assure that
the political, the geopolitical importance of the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict will essentially diminish. Do we alone have a chance
of a breakthrough? I am saying yes because Turkey is a member of the
OSCE Minsk Group. In fact, it launched military actions against one
of the sides of the conflict. Our diplomatic corps did not even make
efforts to have the issue reported to the Council of Europe, the OSCE
along with Turkey. It is an opportunity of lifting the blockade of the
Armenian and Turkish border," Khosrov Harutiunyan says. He thinks it
will modify the state of the talks essentially. These options should
at least be discussed, says the leader of the Christian Democratic
Party, adding that for us it would be lavish not to speak about it.