PRESIDENT: ARMENIA HASN’T TOUGHENED ITS STANCE ON KARABAKH

ARKA
May 25, 2009

YEREVAN, May 25. /ARKA/. Armenia hasn’t toughened its stance in
negotiations with Azerbaijan on Karabakh conflict, Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan said at a press conference on Friday.

"I don’t think Armenia has toughened its positions in talks with
Azerbaijan. It applies not to us. Karabakh’s status is the key issue in
the negotiations. We make this issue clearer expecting answers to our
questions. But it doesn’t mean we make our position tougher", he said.

The head of state said Armenia is willing to continue the talks.

He said that he will meet his Azerbaijani counterpart in St. Petersburg
in early June.

"I hope that after this meeting Azerbaijani media won’t distort the
essence again by saying that Armenia has toughened its positions."

Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when Artsakh, mainly populated
by Armenians, declared its independence from Azerbaijan.

On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority
of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.

Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result,
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions
adjacent to it.

On May 12, 1994 Bishkek cease-fire agreement, put an end to the
military operations.

Sin ce 1992, negotiations over the peaceful settlement of the conflict
have been carried out under the OSCE Minsk Group’s mediation. The
group is co-chaired by USA, Russia and France.