SARKISIAN SAYS NAGORNO-KARABAKH DEAL DEPENDS ON RESIDENTS’ WILL

Hurriyet Daily News
Sept 2 2009
Turkey

Any settlement regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be based on
the consent and free will of the Armenian people living in the disputed
Caucasus region, Armenia’s President Serge Sarkisian said Wednesday.

Any peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be
reached primarily on consent and expression of free will by the
Nagorno-Karabakhi people, Sarkisian was quoted by Armenian news agency
NEWS.am as saying in a message marking the 18th anniversary of the
disputed region’s "independence."

"Today the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is an established state with its
structures, army and foremost – citizens who independently determine
their destiny," Sarkisian said.

His remarks came a couple of days after Ankara and Yerevan announced
they had agreed on a plan to establish diplomatic relations and re-open
their border, which Turkey closed in solidarity with Azerbaijan after
20 percent of its territory was invaded by Armenia – a frozen conflict
legacy of the Soviet Union known as Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu reiterated Tuesday that
Ankara could re-open the border if the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute is
resolved soon. Turkey, previously, had said it would not move toward
reconciliation with Armenia unless the country removed its forces
from Azerbaijani lands.

Monday’s agreement did not make a direct reference to the ongoing
dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, but touched on the issue of regional
stability. Sarkisian, however, reportedly said on Tuesday that the
agreement signed with Turkey was not related to the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.