LEVON MELIK-SHAKHNAZARYAN: "WE MUST ADHERE TO THE OFFENSIVE POLICY REGARDING THE GARABAGH PROBLEM FOLLOWING THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS"

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 24 2007

The external policy of Armenia regarding the resolution of the Garabagh
problem must become more aggressive following the presidential
elections, as declared by political scientist and expert Levon
Melik-Shakhnazaryan Monday.

"It is necessary to abolish all previous developments of negotiations
on the Garabagh issue and initiate a new aggressive policy in this
direction", he said.

According to Melik-Shakhnazaryan, the June meeting of the Presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan Robert Kocharyan and Ilham Aliyev has drawn
a line under the negotiation process on Garabagh for 2007, as today
everyone are waiting for the results of presidential elections in
Armenia, Azerbaijan and two of the three countries, co-chairing in
the OSCE Minsk Group-Russia and US.

The politician scientist noted that Azerbaijan has stiffened its
stance following the meeting, while Armenia’s statements became softer.

"Such situation causes concern, as the militaristic statements of
Azerbaijan mainly rely on oil dollars and sharp expansion of the
military budget of this country, while soft and pacific declarations
of Armenia are probably the results of our complementary external
policy", he noted.

Melik-Shakhnazaryan considers that Armenia has a strong basis to pass
to the offensive.

"We have a 15 year experience of peaceful existence of Nagorno
Garabagh, we have international laws, promoting the recognition of
independence of Nagorno Garabagh, we have a strong army, which is
able to protect Armenian borders and there are such precedents as
Kosovo, Trans-Dniester, Abkhazia and North Ossetia", the political
scientist said.