"PEACE MEANS TO SOLVE KARABAKH CONFLICT NOT EXHAUSTED" – ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

Trend News Agency
July 21 2008
Azerbaijan

Serzh Sargsyan, Armenian President believes that the peace means to
solve the Karabakh conflict has not been exhausted yet.

"The first meeting with the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made
an impression upon me that the peace means to solve the Karabakh
conflict has not been exhausted yet," the Armenian President stated
in the news-conference on 21 June, Novosty-Armenia reported.

On 7 June, the first meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
President was held in St.Petersburg.

According to the Armenian President, Aliyev is to continue the
negotiations. Sargsyan stated that the Karabakh conflict can be
settled through negotiations.

Commenting Azerbaijan’s dissatisfaction over the activity of the OSCE
Minsk Group, Sargsyan said that "we will be calm until Azerbaijan
criticizes the activity by the Minsk Group". According to Sargsyan,
Azerbaijan uses ruse in order the mediators to soften their positions
or to meet country’s demands. "This is Azerbaijanis business, I do
not believe that this will promote peace negotiation process," the
Armenian President said.

Sargsyan proposed to continue the negotiations on the ground of the
Madrid proposals, and believes that the current format of the OSCE
Minsk Group can promote success.

At the same time the Armenian President stated that the Presidents
and Defence Ministers of the both countries should consider that
the military actions can starts ever until no peace agreement has
been achieved.

According to Sargsyan, the efforts have been taking to reach agreement
and the Armenian Armed Forces is the powerful factor. The Armenian
President said that he would allocate the necessary funds to develop
the army.