EN
26 October 2006 - 09:57 AMT

Baku Policy Does Not Promote Peaceful Settlement of Karabakh Conflict

When speaking of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in an interview to Jane’s Center, which holds military and political studies, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan expressed confidence that “the conflict should be solved peacefully via compromises.” However, in his opinion, Azerbaijan’s policy does not promote it. “Today officials of Azerbaijan speak of resumption of hostilities. Their military expenses doubled within the past year,” Sargsyan noted. In his words, according to estimates of independent experts, Azerbaijan is not able to solve the Karabakh issue by force still. “If hostilities resume, Armenia will again have an upper hand,” Serge Sargsyan said.

Speaking of oil revenues of Azerbaijan, which Baku intends to spend on solution of the Karabakh issue, Serge Sargsyan reminded that in early 90s Azerbaijan had an advantage in number and arms, inherited from the USSR. “In 1992 they surrounded Armenians of Karabakh and only a few believed that we can succeed. Neither now, nor many years later they will have the advantage, they had 14-15 years ago. Azeri option of military solution of the Karabakh issue failed then and will fail again. I hope that Azeri leaders will give up those approaches earlier or later,” Sargsyan underscored, reports RFE/RL.