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Leader of Armenia's Republican Party parliament faction criticizes Bolton's statements in Yerevan
YEREVAN. Oct 26
The statements made by U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton on the possibility of selling U.S. weapons to Armenia could lead to the escalation of the Karabakh conflict, Vagram Bagdasaryan, the head of the parliamentary faction of the Republican Party, which is led by Armenia's ex-president Serzh Sargsyan, said on Friday.
"According to international conventions, it is wrong to sell weapons to parties to conflicts; that leads to escalation, conflict. It is wrong to make such statements and say whose weapons are better. We are not going to war, we are moving toward a peaceful solution through negotiation, which is also in line with the position of the OSCE Minsk Group," Bagdasaryan told reporters.
"I believe it's wrong to encourage the parties with statements on the quality of weapons. I believe such statements lead to war. In the meantime, the mediator countries – Russia, the United States, and France – should avoid making such statements or encouraging the parties with weapons and should work on achieving peace," he said.
Yesterday, while visiting Yerevan, Bolton called on the Armenian administration to stop buying Russian weapons and start buying U.S. ones.
Commenting on Bolton's statement that Nikol Pashinyan will have "a strong mandate" for resolute steps on Karabakh if he is elected prime minister as a result of the extraordinary parliamentary elections, Bagdasaryan said that it is necessary to speak "in plain language" to make it clear what resolute steps and what options are meant.
"I don't think that the election outcome can help resolve the conflict in any way. Will people gather on a square where it'll be announced that we're giving away our territory, and it will be accepted? I can't imagine such a thing. By the way, the formula 'territory in exchange for peace' was mentioned by former U.S. ambassador Richard Mills. We don't have occupied territory," Bagdasaryan said.
Earlier in October, Richard Mills, who was completing his mission as U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, told the website EVNReport that Armenia would have to find a compromise with Azerbaijan in Karabakh settlement.
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