S. SARGSYAN SAYS IF THE ISSUE OF NAGORNO KARABAKH STATUS IS MORE DEFFINITELY STRESSED DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS EXPECTING RESPONSES IT DOES NOT MEAN WE HAVE TOUGHENED OUR POSITION

ARMENPRESS
May 22, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 22, ARMENPRESS: "I don’t think Armenia has toughened
its position in the negotiations with Azerbaijan, this is not our
definition. The core issue of Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the
issue of status of Nagorno Karabakh and if during the negotiations
we more definitely stress the issue expecting responses it does not
mean that we have toughened our position," during the joint press
conference followed today’s meeting with Croatian President Stjepan
Mesic Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said commenting on the news
that allegedly Armenia has toughened its position in the Karabakh
conflict negotiations.

He stressed that Armenia is ready to continue the negotiations and
his next meeting with the Azerbaijani President is scheduled for
early June, probably in St. Petersburg.

"I hope that after the meeting the Azerbaijani media will not again
try to misinterpret the sense of our meeting and will not say that
Armenia has toughened its position," S. Sargsyan said.

In response to the question on Croatia’s position in the issue
of Karabakh conflict regulation if taken into consideration the
circumstance that in its turn Croatia has successfully obtained the
right for self-determination as a result of collapse of Yugoslavia
S. Mesic noted that a Constitution was adopted in Yugoslavia based on
which constitute republics of the Federation were self-determined as
autonomous regions – Constitutional elements or Federation constitutes.

"If not the powers that chose the war as a solution, if they did not
try to change the borders we would be able to settle all our issues
peacefully. But regrettably the military solution was chosen; we had
numerous victims but the borders did not change at all. The former
republics became separate states and a necessity rose to settle the
Kosovo issue," the Croatian President noted.

According to him Serbia did not have the corresponding potential
to establish its power in Kosovo and there was also no potential to
continue the negotiations.

"The Kosovo status was to be settled. Kosovo brought forward the aim
to become independent and a new reality arouse; we recognized the
reality," he noted.

According to S. Mesic any issue can be solved exclusively through
negotiations. "It’s better to negotiate for10 years than to fight
for10 days," President of Croatia stressed.