LE FIGARO INTERVIEW WITH SERZH SARGSYAN By Hovik Afyan Within the framework of his visit to France, President Serzh Sargsyan gave an interview to well-known French newspaper Le Figaro. In the interview, the President touched upon the Armenian-Turkish processes and Karabakh conflict negotiations. Speaking of Armenian-Turkish relations, the President once again underlined that Armenia would ratify the protocols only after Turkish Mejlis. Serzh Sargsyan said, "Ankara is speaking in language of preconditions that mainly refers to Karabakh, while there is a bilateral agreement to establish relations without preconditions". "The international community should also play a decisive role in the process", the President said. The President also underlined, "If we make sure that Turkey uses the process for other purposes, Armenia will disown its signature". What about Karabakh conflict, the President said that everything should be done to lift the blockade on Armenia, as the latter first of all suffers from it. "In this case, Azerbaijan is in a different situation; they cherish hopes for their oil dollars to buy armaments and solve the conflict militarily", Serzh Sargsyan said. To the question whether Armenia is afraid of a war, the Armenian President answered, "War is always undesirable and people should always avoid conduction of wars. At the same time, we are not afraid of fighting a war, if it is necessary. Nevertheless, our position is to solve the conflict by peaceful means based on mutual compromises". |
