Interfax, Russia
Feb 12 2009
Armenian position on Karabakh doesn’t help settlement process – Baku
BAKU Feb 12
The opinion of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan that there are no
legal grounds to restore Azerbaijani jurisdiction over Karabakh does
not help resolve the Karabakh problem, Azerbaijani Foreign ministry
spokesman Khazar Ibragim told Interfax.
"I do not know which notions the Armenian president implies, but
Karabakh is an Azerbaijani territory from the legal and historical
points of view," he said.
"Azerbaijan does not bargain with its lands. It does not plan to waive
an inch of its lands either," he said.
"There is no Karabakh people. There is a Karabakh population made up
of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities," Ibragim said.
As for another statement by Sargsyan, which proclaimed the absence of
alternative to peace settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Ibragim said
that Azerbaijan adhered to the same principle.
"However, the aforesaid statements by the Armenian president minimize
the peaceful settlement potential. Azerbaijan has a full right to
self-defense. If Armenia does not quit the position based on the
aggression against another state, which, by the way, contradicts any
laws, Azerbaijan will naturally use its right," Ibragim said.