"TERRITORIES MUSTN’T BE CEDED"

A1+
04:03 pm | May 08, 2009

Society

On May 8, A1+ conducted a poll to find out Yerevan citizens’ stance
on the present phase of the Karabakh conflict settlement.

"We shall surrender no territory, even an acre of land. We must
struggle to the last drop of blood," said most of our respondents.

"The liberated territories cannot become a subject for disputes as
they are not occupied lands and belong to the Republic of Armenia,"
said Vardan Hakobyan.

Many people voiced concern that the negotiations are kept in secret
and Nagorno Karabakh is not involved in the talks.

"We are not aware of the negotiations. Ordinary people are not informed
of many issues, of the agreements on high levels, etc. I think the
issue is much more serious as Karabakh doesn’t participate in the
talk as a key actor," said Hayk Vardanyan. "Suppose Armenia had a
home problem and our neighbours settled it for us."

"Many mothers lost their sons because of the conflict. Many children
grew up without fathers. Many war veterans became invalids. Nothing
must be forgotten," said many mothers.

"Territories are yielded and taken back with bloodshed. A new war is
not excluded as everything depends on the interests of superpowers,"
said architect Erwand Avagyan.

Sergey Lorekyan thinks some territories can be ceded provided that
NKR independence is recognized. He says it is essential that the
negotiations be kept confidential. "Anyway, the last word is after
people," he adds.