SERZH SARGSYAN: WE ARE SEEKING LASTING SOLUTIONS

armradio.am
23.10.2009 12:45

While in Nagorno Karabakh President Serzh Sargsyan gave an interview
to the Artsakh Public Television, President’s Press Office reported.

– Mr. President, considering the frequency and regularity of your
visits, do you see any changes from visit to visit? What is your
assessment of army’s combat readiness?

– Visits such as this one, are intended to follow the progress on the
defense positions and in the army units, to follow the implementation
of the current tasks or those that the army was assigned with during
the previous visits. I do not believe it is possible to speak about the
combat readiness of the troops, or about the morals and the existing
psychological atmosphere while strolling on the carpet floors of a
study room. I attach utmost importance to these visits. This visit
differs from the others by the fact that it was made right after
the random check up conducted by the Military Inspection in one of
the army units. The check up revealed that that particular unit was
combat ready; it comprises a number of subunits which know their job
perfectly well. There are units which got excellent marks; there were
also those which got good marks.

It testifies to the fact that we have well-trained soldiers,
knowledgeable commanding staff and our troops are combat ready. I
believe, right now our armed forces are going through the development
phase. They established themselves long ago and we do have combat
ready troops, unlike some countries of the region which have just
groups of armed men. These are two different things. State of our
combat units, their equipment, combat spirit and the existing moral
and psychological environment allow to state unequivocally that at
this time our troops are ready to carry out any task assigned to them.

My visits are months apart while changes in the armed forces take
place every day, every month, and it is of course very pleasing.

– Mr. President, some time ago the President of Azerbaijan declared
again that the agreement has been reached on the return of the
territories adjacent to Nagorno Karabakh. He claims that such agreement
had been reached years ago and accused Armenia of protracting the
negotiations. Could you please comment on these statements?

– I have already commented on that issue and have nothing to
add. Just would like to stress once again that we take the entire
process of negotiations responsibly and seriously. There is no more
interested part in all this than Nagorno Karabakh, the people of
Nagorno Karabakh. And they want this conflict to be resolved as soon
as possible.

I am confident that there are solutions, realistic solutions. Those
solutions can be found only if the parties are realistic in their
approaches, if their expectations are realistic. We are seeking long
term solutions, solutions which will bring peace and which will be
durable. I don’t think it would be right to come to conclusions,
solutions which will work for some time only but will not be able to
support a durable peace. Of course in any negotiations parties are
working toward getting the best possible option. However I don’t get
it when one of the parties is trying to obtain everything, when is
guided by "everything for me only" motto. In that case, negotiations
for that particular party could be rather unpleasant, the results of
negotiations will be objectionable but this is not our fault. We are
living in the 21st century when hardly anything can be concealed and
the situation is obvious for many, not only for us or the negotiating
parties. When our partners in negotiations arrive at the conclusion
that there should be a logical solution, the decision will be found
easily. If they approach the problem from realistic positions, and
along with making statements will really strive to solve the problem,
the decision will come. Displeasure expressed after the negotiations
or grumbling will not bring solution closer. On the contrary, it
derails the process of negotiations and adds to uncertainty.

I would like to repeat that it is not proper to pluck something off
the context of the negotiations – previous or current – and speak
about that particular part, especially when reservations are made
regarding that very statement. If they admit that not everything has
been negotiated yet, that not all points have been agreed upon yet,
it speaks volumes. I trust it would be appropriate for us and for
the Azeris to concentrate on the current stage of the negotiations
rather that separate a part of prior negotiations and present it for
domestic consumption.