ARMENIA DOES NOT SEE REASONS TO CHANGE KARABAKH TALKS FORMAT

Interfax
May 14 2009
Russia

Armenia does not see reasons to change the existing format of the
negotiations on settling the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Defense
Minister Seiran Oganian said.

"We don’t see any reasons to involve other international institutions
or states in the process of the settlement of the Nagorno- Karabakh
conflict or change the existing format [the OSCE Minsk Group].

Armenia attaches great significance to the Minsk Group’s mediating
mission," Oganian said at a conference dealing with the situation in
the South Caucasus on Thursday.

Armenia has always favored a peaceful way in resolving conflicts based
on mutual compromises, Oganian said. "Unfortunately, Azerbaijan’s
policies differ in this respect. Baku’s policy toward large-scale
rearmament of its army and the increase of its military budget is a
reason for concerns," he said.

The South Caucasus region cannot be seen as one guaranteed against
conflicts, Oganian said. "The key military threats to Armenia
are the lack of mutually accepted political and legal foundations
for settling relations between the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Azerbaijan’s militaristic policy, Baku’s desire to resolve
the conflict in a military way, and also Armenia’s blockade," he said.

French Ambassador to Armenia Serge Smessow said the August 2008 events
in Georgia showed that there can be no alternative to negotiations
on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"The parties understand that the status quo cannot last forever.

Despite the fact that the negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement have not yet reached the final stage, progress is visible,"
Smessov said.