KIRO MANOYAN: ARF IS AGAINST RETURNING TERRITORIES

Yerkir
20.10.2008 16:34

Yerevan (Yerkir) – Kiro Manoyan, the director of the ARF Bureau’s Hay
Dat and Political Affairs Office, told a news conference today that if
Azerbaijan continues its belligerent rhetoric, then "Armenian will be
left with no other choice than recognize the independence of Nagorno
Karabakh Republic, creating a completely new de jure situation."

Answering a question the conflict could be settled by the end of the
year in the light of more frequent visits of foreign diplomats to
Armenia, Manoyan said that the presidential election in Azerbaijan
showed that Ilham Aliyev does not depend on any Azerbaijani political
circle in the settlement issue but it should not be expected that
the conflict would be settled by the end of the year.

Manoyan said that no one in Armenia has the right to take a
unilateral decision: all the Armenian forces as well as Karabakh
should participate in the decision-making. "Not everything depends
on Armenia, and not everything depends on the president. This is
not the issue that the president can decide alone," he said. "The
ARF has made its position clear by saying we are against the option
under consideration because of the idea to return territories."

He reiterated the ARF’s position: NKR should cannot be a part of
Azerbaijan, as well as the liberated territories, which are also
part of Karabakh, should not be returned. When asked what mutual
concessions are in this case, he said "peace" is Armenia’s concession.

He added that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have realized that
Karabakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan that’s why they speak of
self-determination right along with that of territorial integrity. He
added that Turkey cannot be in the Minsk Group because it is a party
in the conflict and supports Azerbaijan.