ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: "I HOPE THE SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH PROBLEM WILL BE FOUND SOON"

Today.Az
tics/47279.html
Aug 29 2008
Azerbaijan

"The events in Georgia and South Ossetia were a tragedy, which
caused death to people", said Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan in
his interview to Turkish Radical newspaper.

The President noted that Armenia is for the resolution of such issues
by way of talks, on the basis of the free will of people and respect
for the right for self-determination.

"It is a pity that the situation is growing tense and we do not like
it. We believe that the joint initiative of the Presidents of Russia
and France will promote peace and stability, which is very important to
us. 70% of Armenian trade turnover is conducted via Georgia", said he.

He said there is really a gasoline crisis in Armenia, which was
a result of a blast on the Georgian railway bridge. The president
voiced hope that this issue will soon be settled. Sargsyan noted that
instability in the region is not positive for Armenia and durable
stability will worsen situation and raise the number of problems.

Analyzing the conflicts in the South Caucasus, Sargsyan noted that
all of them have both similarities and differences. The president
recommended to take lessons from this, instead of focusing on details.

"I see that speculations around the armed resolution of the problem
lead to dangerous consequences", noted he.

He said that the meeting with president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
in Saint Petersburg on June 6 was effective. "Both sides instructed
the the foreign ministers to continue work on the basis of Madrid
principles. I hope that we will find the solution in the near future",
noted he.

At the same time, he said it is incorrect to make any predictions
before the presidential elections in Azerbaijan.