TROOPS WILL BE WITHDRAWN, IF BAKU RECOGNIZES KARABAKH’S RIGHT TO SELF- DETERMINATION – SARGSYAN

Interfax
Nov 11 2008
Russia

The Moscow declaration rules out the use of force to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said.

"The military resolution of the conflict is excluded after the
Moscow declaration was signed. However, the issue is about the
declaration, and we would be glad to sign an agreement. I would not
underestimate the role of this document. I am glad that Azerbaijan
signed the document, which recognized all the basic principles of
international law on resolving conflicts, not just the territorial
integrity principle. It is good that the role of the Minsk Group was
again underscored after lengthy discussions about the efficiency of
this format," Sargsyan said in an interview with the German newspaper
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Asked whether the Armenian side is ready to withdraw troops from
seven districts adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh, Sargsyan said, "The
core of the conflict is the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan
should recognize the rights of the people in Nagorno-Karabakh to
self- determination. Other moves will follow the resolution of this
issue. The control over territories is not an end in itself but
a means of protecting Nagorno-Karabakh. We need talks on a basic
document and then a peace treaty. There is a way for us to go,"
the Armenian president said.