PM: No threat to security of Nagorno-karabakh

YEREVAN, September 12. /ARKA/. There is no threat to the security of Nagorno-Karabakh, said Armenia’s Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan in the National Assembly.

“I am sure that today there is no threat to the security of the NKR, even if taking into account the rapid economic development of Azerbaijan due to its oil factor,” he said.
Sargsyan informed in the issue of Karabakh conflict settlement there are not new developments yet.

According to the Premier, everything develops on the planned scenario – at the end of the week the region will be visited by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE MG, who will meet the heads of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the NKR.

“We should attentively follow the development of events in Azerbaijan. If analyzing the declarations of the Azerbaijani heads, we will see that their aims are not implemented,” he said.

He reminded that Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev promised that in 2007 Azerbaijan’s military budget will equal the whole budget of Armenia, however, he did not keep his promise.

The Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988, when Nagorno-Karabakh populated by Armenians declared secession from Azerbaijan. 

On December 10, 1991, just a few days before the collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum was conducted in Nagorno-Karabakh with the presence of international observers. At this referendum, 99.89% of population voted for independence.

Responding to that, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale war against Nagorno-Karabakh. The military offensives were stopped after a cease-fire agreement was signed in May 12, 1994. The agreement is observed now as well, and talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan are under way.

Starting from 1992 negotiations on the peaceful settlement of the conflict have being held within the OSCE Minsk Group, the Co-Chairs of which are the USA, Russia and France.–0--