"LET THEM GIVE BACK 54 ARMENIAN VILLAGES"
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[07:55 pm] 17 November, 2008
"A crushing defeat in the diplomatic realms," member of the political
board of the Social Democratic Henchak Party (SDHK), Vahan Shirkhanyan,
said with regard to recent developments over the Karabakh conflict
regulation.
Though the Armenian side won the war and was to take an active
diplomatic policy, Azerbaijan was able to defeat Armenia in the sphere
of information.
"While our officials were busy building palaces and visiting casinos,
Azeris waged an information war against Armenia," he said.
His opponent, Republican Armen Ashotyan, agreed that Armenia has
lost the information war but he accounted it for Armenia’s democratic
path. The Armenian opposition and press will inform the world of the
country’s interior life," said Ashotyan.
The Republican MP thinks Armenia needs a political consensus and
solidarity of political forces to win in the diplomatic sphere.
"For the first time Azerbaijan has signed a document envisaging
a peaceful resolution to an issue. Let us not forget that both the
first, second and third presidents of Armenia continue negotiations
over the Karabakh conflict with different methods. None of them has
started from naught. This is very important," said Ashotyan.
The opponents also debated over previous versions of the conflict
settlement. Vahan Shirkhanyan ensured that the one proposed in 1998 was
undoubtedly better as it referred to the whole region of Lachin. While
today they mainly speak of the Lachin corridor, withdrawal of Armenian
troops, return of Azeri refugees, etc. Shirkhanyan also reminded that
54 Armenian villages are today in Azerbaijan’s territory. "If they
want new territories, let them give back those 54," he said.
Ashotyan agreed with Shirkhanyan at the same time noting that the
territorial exchange will hardly contribute to the settlement of the
Karabakh issue.