Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stated that 'there is a red line' in the issue of Karabakh settlement 'that we’ll never cross'.
On Protocols
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stated that the Armenian-Turkish 'Protocols are not an open-ended and permanent opportunity'.
Speaking at the meeting of the Central Office of the Foreign Ministry and heads of the Armenian diplomatic missions abroad, the President said that the initiative to normalize relations with Turkey raised Armenia's international authority and 'dispelled our partners' illusions about today's Turkey revealing new manifestations of the Turkish policy which we have been aware of throughout the history'.
'Nevertheless, we keep on adhering to our position on normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations without preconditions. Turkey should show up some courage to respect the undertaken commitments. At the same time, the Turkish side should understand that these Protocols are not an open-ended and permanent opportunity. Most of our friends advised us to wait till the parliamentary elections in Turkey and we'll see in coming months whether or not there are changes in Turkey's approaches after the elections. To be honest, the latest two months don't give us reason for optimism. We'll make a decision on our further steps regarding the Protocols based on the results of our observations', the Armenian President stated.
On Karabakh
Speaking at the meeting of the Central Office of Foreign Ministry and heads of Armenia’s diplomatic missions abroad, the President said that 'everybody saw how Southern Sudan gained independence this year after decades of struggle'.
'The same outcome is unavoidable in case of Karabakh even though we can’t say Azerbaijan has moderated its stance', said Serzh Sargsyan.
He noted that 'the sides reached an important line in the summer: the mediator countries and international community expected us to reach agreements on at least key principles of the settlement'.
'In this respect, the meeting in Kazan was a kind of a touchstone to assess the sides’ determination and sincerity. We saw that Azerbaijan made a step backward in Kazan by refusing to come to an agreement and putting new obstacles into the process', stressed the Armenian President.
The Armenian leader said that 'irrespective of Azerbaijan’s destructive stance Armenia will keep on making efforts (as before) to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in an exclusively peaceful way based on the norms of international law and principles reflected in the UN Charter'.
'Nevertheless, let nobody doubt our determination: we have a red line that we will never be able to cross. We spoke about these both in public and during meetings with our partners. It is reflected in my pre-election program and numerous statements. Baku is not ready for peace as it’s impossible to set peace by advocating a war; to reconcile societies by sowing Armenophobia; build trust by instigating race of arms. Such behavior demonstrated by Azerbaijan is unacceptable and we will make adequate steps. Be sure - in case of a new military adventure Armenia will again coerce the rival to peace', stated Serzh Sargsyan.
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