ARMENIAN LEADER URGES TOUGHER APPROACH TO KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

Public TV
April 4 2008
Armenia

[Presenter, reading from a sheet of paper] There can be no concessions
from the Armenian side in the new approaches on the Karabakh issue,
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan expressed today such an opinion
responding to Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s
statement made in Bucharest yesterday [3 April] that the issue now
depends on the Armenian side, depending on how the Yerevan government
sees the future of the problem.

The existing situation in the UN [Azerbaijan put to vote in the UN
a resolution on the situation in occupied territories] and on the
border with Azerbaijan dictates us to be much more resolute, the
president of the country said. Robert Kocharyan did not rule out that
Armenia might de facto recognize Nagornyy Karabakh’s independence in
future. One should not be afraid of anything.

[Armenian President Robert Kocharyan] Recently Azerbaijan tried to
use Armenia’s internal political situation to the detriment of the
negotiations process. This should oblige the Armenian side to be
much more resolute in principal matters and of course there cannot
be any concession, any change in the approaches. But the opposite. In
such cases, one should answer only by toughening approaches, both on
the part of Karabakh and Armenia. This is the approach. Of course,
they will try to take advantage and we should realize that Armenia’s
stability, the pace of Armenia’s development, Armenia’s integrity
is the best guarantee that we have strong positions in the issue
of Karabakh. I believe that Azerbaijan’s behaviour in regard to the
negotiations process and the recent steps just oblige the Armenian
side to resort to more resolute steps regarding these issues. The
next president, the next government has to decide what these steps
will be – recognition [Armenia’s recognition of Nagornyy Karabakh] or
signing a military agreement [between Armenia and Nagornyy Karabakh]
or some other step.