The leader of Armenia’s Liberal Party, Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, has said that Armenia is bound to make concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh before ratification of the protocols on normalizing relations with Turkey.

He made his remarks in an interview with Armenian newspaper Aravot, published on Tuesday.

“I am sure that before ratification of the protocols Armenia will make concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh,” Hovhannisyan said. “I cannot say how many districts will be returned but they will return enough for the Turkish parliament to ratify the protocols and for Azerbaijan to be satisfied with the Turkish parliament.

“This is absolutely clear and I do not think that Armenia has an argument that means the problem cannot be resolved. Otherwise, if Serzh Sargsyan tries to change the rules of the game, a brief war may well break out in the Caucasus.”

Hovhannisyan said that for those driven into a corner, war can represent an escape. “I hope I’m wrong but what has been happening in Armenia since the signing of the protocols means that the authorities are driving their foreign policy agreements into a corner. There are two options. The current political elite understands that one way out is their departure from the scene … or if they are going to be stubborn, then war will appear on the table.”