AZERBAIJAN MINISTER SAYS MILITARY CONFLICT WITH ARMENIA POSSIBLE
RIA Novosti, Russia
Nov 27 2007
ASTANA, November 27 (RIA Novosti) – Azerbaijan’s defense minister
said military conflict with Armenia over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh
area was likely but his Armenian counterpart denied such a possibility.
"So long as Azerbaijan’s territories remain occupied by Armenia, the
chances of a war are nearly 100%," Safar Abiyev told a news conference
in Astana, Kazakhstan, after a regular meeting of post-Soviet defense
ministers.
Armenia’s Defense Minister Mikael Arutyunyan, however, disagreed with
Abiyev and said a peaceful resolution to the issue of Nagorny Karabakh,
a territory in Azerbaijan mostly populated by ethnic Armenians,
was the only option.
"We see no alternative to a peaceful resolution. Our presidents are
negotiating a peaceful resolution to the Karabakh conflict," he said,
adding that Abiyev as a minister had no right to make such statements
at a time when the two presidents were conducting peace talks.
The conflict between the two former Soviet republics over Nagorny
Karabakh first erupted in 1988 when it proclaimed independence from
Azerbaijan to join Armenia.
Over 30,000 people were killed on both sides between 1988 and 1994,
and over 100 have died since a 1994 ceasefire was announced. Nagorny
Karabakh remains in Armenian hands, but tensions between Azerbaijan
and Armenia have persisted.