ARMENIAN PRESIDENT INVITES AZERI INVESTMENT IN KARABAKH

Mediamax
Sept 23 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 23 September: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stated that
"the right to self-determination of the Nagornyy Karabakh people
should be accepted".

The president said this on 20 September at a meeting with
representatives of international media, answering the following
question: "What is the limit of mutual concessions in the issue of
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, the red line, which Armenia will
never cross? Does Armenia theoretically consider Nagornyy Karabakh
within Azerbaijan as a federative state, or any other way?"

The Armenian president answered: "We stated about the red line very
long ago, at least 14 years ago, when we concluded a truce, just as
we have stated it for a few times afterwards. The line is that the
right of the Nagornyy Karabakh people to self-determination should
be accepted.

"The matter is the following: the people of Nagornyy Karabakh lived in
this territory for thousands of years, and conditions should be set
now for the people of Nagornyy Karabakh to have the opportunity to
continue its secure existence in this territory. The Soviet period,
when Karabakh was within the composition of Azerbaijan, showed that
secure existence of Karabakh within Azerbaijan is impossible. What
concerns the theoretic variant of whether Karabakh may be within
the composition of Azerbaijan, this can be defined as a result of a
referendum, after asking the opinion of the Karabakh people.

"But I am sure that at least in the near future, no matter what
happens, any referendum will give one result – the Karabakh people
will not wish to be within the composition of Azerbaijan. I told
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that if the Azerbaijani people
are seriously interested in the issues of secure life and future
of Nagornyy Karabakh, let them make serious investments in Nagornyy
Karabakh and prove that Azerbaijan is ready to invest and convince
the people of Nagornyy Karabakh of the fact that Azerbaijan may become
a guarantor of their security. Maybe, after that the referendum will
show the wish of the Karabakh people to be within the composition of
Azerbaijan. If one day a miracle happens and Nagornyy Karabakh finds
itself within Azerbaijan, some short time later not a single Armenian
will remain there."

Sargsyan said that "there is no issue on recognizing South Ossetia
and Abkhazia on our agenda today".

The president said this on 20 September at the meeting with
representatives of international media, answering the question on
why Armenia did not recognize the independence of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia and whether it is ready to recognize the independence of
Nagornyy Karabakh.

"One cannot rule out anything. Today, we do not have the issue of
recognizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia on our agenda. It may seem
strange that we have always been for the right to self-determination,
but we did not recognize Kosovo, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

"Our approach is simple: we have a similar problem – the issue of
Nagornyy Karabakh. We cannot recognize Kosovo, South Ossetia and
Abkhazia before Nagornyy Karabakh is recognized. And why don’t we
recognize the independence of Nagornyy Karabakh? Because today we are
in the process of negotiations with Azerbaijan and we want to reach
a peace settlement. Do you remember that in the case with Kosovo and
others, it was stated that recognition is the last means? If there
are no means left, Armenia will recognize the independence of Nagornyy
Karabakh," the Armenian president said.