Armenia making every effort to settle Karabakh conflict by peaceful means
12.05.2015,
19:03
Yerevan is taking every step to settle Karabakh conflict, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan told journalists on Tuesday after touring Armenian troops along north-eastern section of the border with Azerbaijan.
TAVUSH, May 12. /ARKA/. Yerevan is taking every step to settle Karabakh conflict, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan told journalists on Tuesday after touring Armenian troops along north-eastern section of the border with Azerbaijan.
He is quoted by Novosti-Armenia as saying that the country’s military and political authorities are doing whatever is necessary to organize a firm defense and ensure compliance with the ceasefire regime.
«Today, we are doing everything to have the conflict resolved peacefully. We are consistent in this, and when our efforts fail, one should look for the reasons on the other side,” said Ohanyan, adding that Yerevan is committed to resolve the issue based on mutual understanding and protection of the Armenian side’s interests.
The defense minister also stressed that it is necessary to form the atmosphere of trust on the contact line to ensure success to the talks. It is necessary not to shoot and not to send raiders, it is necessary to withdraw snipers and create mechanisms for investigating incidents.
Ohanyan also stressed that the current situation in the conflict zone is due to the international events, particularly European Games, which will take place in Baku in the 2015 summer.
«But things on the border should depend not only on one or another international event, but also on consistent efforts of the sides,» he said. «When I am asked when the war was over, I say that a relative truce was set in 1994, but the war never ended to me, since the ceasefire regime is constantly being violated.»
The Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when prevailingly Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh declared withdrawal from Azerbaijan.
In a referendum on December 10, 1991, 99.89% of Nagorno-Karabakh population voted for independence from Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan responded by large-scale military operations that led to loss of control not only over Nagorno-Karabakh itself, but also over seven adjoining areas.
About 25-30 thousand people were killed and about a million had to leave their homes during the military operations.
A trilateral cease-fire agreement was signed on May 12, 2004, and has been followed since then.
The ongoing Karabakh peace process started in 1992 under auspices of OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the USA, Russia and France. –0--
