AZERBAIJAN HAS LOST KARABAKH FOR EVER,SAYS ARMENIA

Reuters
April 16 2008

YEREVAN, April 16 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan must accept that its breakaway
Nagorno-Karabakh region is an independent republic that will never
be returned to Azeri control, Armenia’s president said on Wednesday.

Nagorno-Karabakh, in the Caucasus mountains, broke away from Azerbaijan
as the Soviet Union fell apart, sparking a war which killed about
35,000 people. A ceasefire was agreed in 1994 but the search for a
lasting peace is stalled.

The region’s ethnic Armenian separatists run their own affairs, with
support from Armenia. The region has declared its independence from
Azerbaijan, but this has not been recognised by any state.

"Azerbaijan must understand the simple reality that the existence
of the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence is irreversible,"
President Serzh Sarksyan, who was sworn in this month, said in comments
supplied by his press service.

"It is impossible to even imagine that the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh
could be subordinate in any way to Azerbaijan," said Sarksyan, who
is a native of the region.

"The people of Nagorno-Karabakh have won their right to a free
and independent life. And through our efforts, that right must be
recognised by the international community."

Azerbaijan says Armenia has illegally occupied Nagorno-Karabakh,
and a number of Azeri districts surrounding the region.

Baku, which announced a 53 percent rise in military spending this
month, says it is committed to stalled peace talks but has refused
to rule out using force to restore its control.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are still officially at war and their troops
frequently fight skirmishes along a heavily mined front line. Up to
16 soldiers were killed in a clash earlier last month.

Russia, the United States and France are mediators in the conflict.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress