Edward Sharmazanov: Ilham Aliyev must forget, that NKR might be part
of Azerbaijan
06.02.2010 15:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "I want to remind the Azerbaijani leadership, that
16 years ago, they asked to sign a cease-fire agreement. I don’t treat
seriously the statement of Ilham Aliyev in an interview with Euronews
that Azerbaijan may agree to a military solution of the conflict, "
Edward Sharmazanov secretary of the parliamentary group of Republican
Party of Armenia told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. According to
Sharmazanov, belligerent statements of Azerbaijani President is not
serious since they are followed by his calls to peaceful conflict
resolution. "Armenia has always been for a peaceful solution to the
conflict, but we proceed from the philosophy "if you want peace,
prepare to war, " Sharmazanov said.

He also reminded to Aliyev that Nagorno Karabakh has been occupied by
Azerbaijan during the Soviet era and achieved its independence in the
national liberation struggle.

Sharmazanov stressed that current bellicose statements by Aliyev are
more directed to himself. " Ilham Aliyev must forget, that NKR might
be part of Azerbaijan and start handling its internal problems, which
are innumerous,"MP said.

The Republican Party of Armenia is a national conservative political
party in Armenia. It was the first political party in independent
Armenia to be founded (2 April 1990) and registered (14 May 1991). It
is the largest party of the centre-right in Armenia, and claims to
have 140,000 members. The party controls most government bodies in
Armenia.

At the 2003 parliamentary elections on May 25, the party received
23.5% of the popular vote, winning 31 out of 131 seats. At the last
parliamentary elections on May 12, 2007, the party received 33.91% of
the popular vote, winning 64 out of 131 seats. The former prime
minister, Andranik Markaryan, was the leader of the party. Current
President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, is the chairman of RPA board.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out in 1988
as result of the ethnic cleansing the latter launched in the final
years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 to
1994. Since the ceasefire in 1994, sealed by Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh
and Azerbaijan, most of Nagorno Karabakh and several regions of
Azerbaijan around it (the security zone) remain under the control of
NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks
mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.