ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ACCUSES RIVALS OF BEING SOFT ON KARABAKH
by Nelly Grigoryan
Aravot
Feb 1 2008
Armenia
We are the ones important for Europe
Presidential candidate Arman Melikyan [who used to be breakaway
Nagornyy Karabakh’s foreign minister and presidential aide] had a
meeting with young people at the Civil Society Institute yesterday
[31 January]. The Nagornyy Karabakh issue became the key topic at
the meeting.
"Those people have never said anything regarding Karabakh. The question
is in which boundaries they see Karabakh. They have no intention to
surrender the NKR [the self-declared Nagornyy Karabakh republic]
but they see the NKR in the boundaries of the Nagornyy Karabakh
Autonomous Region because they do not speak about Shahumyan.
But they will undoubtedly surrender the liberated territories
[Azerbaijani areas around Nagornyy Karabakh, currently controlled
by the Armenian forces]. The day that [former President] Levon
Ter-Petrosyan [running for presidency] says ‘I am not going to
surrender the territories just to establish relations with Azerbaijan,’
I will apologize," Arman Melikyan said.
He presented his views on the NKR issue. In the context of his
option to settle the NKR issue and in his geopolitical analysis,
Melikyan concludes that both the US and Russia are interested in
maintaining the "status quo," while any speedy settlement is a result
of Europe’s interests. "Europe’s fate is in our hands," Melikyan said
half-jokingly. He said that the first president [Levon Ter-Petrosyan]
is trying to surrender the liberated territories by all means. "The
mediators know that the issue cannot be settled soon but pressure
you [Armenia] to agree to a deal because in such a case you will
be tied up. The incumbent authorities are in the same situation. By
giving promises and agreeing to a deal [on settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict] they are depriving themselves from conducting free
policies. The outside world wants to have authorities here that can
be pressurized," he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
