Serzh Sargsyan: Threats of force damage Karabakh talks

“The conflict cannot be resolved by military means. This path will only aggravate the situation. We reaffirm our commitment to find an exclusively peaceful resolution to the conflict,” Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan stated during a joint briefing with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss President Didier Burkhalter.

According to the Armenian president, threats of force and ceasefire violations in the Karabakh conflict zone damage the negotiating process. He also stressed that in search of solutions to the problem, due respect should be shown for the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

“It was a liberation war and this fact should be taken into account during the conflict’s settlement. All solutions should take into account the wishes and opinion of the Nagorno Karabakh people,” the Armenian president said.

Didier Burkhalter said for his part that the status quo cannot be maintained. “We should move forward step by step towards peace.

As the country holding the OSCE Chairmanship, we should try to strengthen the ceasefire and establish mechanisms for investigation of incidents on the Line of Contact between the conflicting parties,” D. Burkhalter noted.

He welcomed French President Francois Hollande’s invitation for Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to meet in Paris.

“This meeting, at which conceptual issues may be discussed, could become the start of a new phase that will enable to reach an agreement,” the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office stated.

In his words, Switzerland may provide expert and financial assistance if Armenia and Azerbaijan express such a wish.

The Armenian president thanked Switzerland for its mediatory mission during the signing of the protocols on the normalization of relations between Yerevan and Ankara.

“The protocols were not ratified because of Turkey’s refusal. The illegal blockade of Armenia by Turkey should remain at the center of the attention of international structures and the OSCE,” Serzh Sargsyan said.