Interfax News Agency, Russia
Feb 18 2008

Armenian premier says Kosovo not precedent for Karabakh

Yerevan, 18 February: Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan does not
believe that the [Nagornyy] Karabakh and Kosovo conflicts are
similar.

"Kosovo is not a precedent for us," Sargsyan told Interfax, adding
that "a positive signal has been received from Kosovo" regarding the
protection of human rights in Karabakh.

The prime minister noted that Karabakh and Kosovo had gone different
paths to achieve independence.

"I do not think they are like two peas in a pod," he said asked about
possible similarities between the Karabakh and Kosovo conflicts.
"Nagornyy Karabakh has been independent for about 17 years though
no-one has recognized that," the prime minister said.

Speaking about the peculiarities of the Karabakh conflict, Sargsyan
said he was confident that Karabakh had become independent based on
laws and legal norms. "USSR laws allowed for withdrawal from the
Soviet Union, and when Azerbaijan withdrew from the Soviet Union,
Karabakh took advantage of this," the prime minister said.

He recalled that Azerbaijan had not agreed to Karabakh’s
independence, started a war and was defeated.