Armenia Must Adopt Aggressive Stance

[Aratta-Kingdom]

ARMENIA HAS TO ADOPT AN AGGRESSIVE STANCE ON KARABAKH ISSUE, SAYS POLITICAL SCIENTIST

By G. Gevorgian

 

AZG Armenian Daily

25/12/2007

 

Peace Negotiation Process Expected to be Calmer in 2008

 

The passing year proved fruitless in sense of peace negotiations on

Nagorno-Karabakh, and the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and

Azerbaijan in Saint Petersburg was a proof of the stalemate in the

peace process, stated yesterday at "Pastark" ("Argument") discussion

club political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazarian, summarizing the

progress of the process on Karabakh in 2007. He expressed confidence

that the warlike declarations of the Azerbaijani authorities are

based upon the swiftly growing military budget, and Armenia's passive

stance is caused by the neutrality and complementariness of its

foreign policy.

 

"Our foreign policy must change with the new President, and

Armenia must shift from a defensive to an aggressive stance on

Nagorno-Karabakh," stated Mr. Melik-Shahnazarian, adding that the

defensive position of Armenia has exhausted itself.

 

To Levon Melik-Shahnazarian's opinion, the people of Armenia is able

to elect a President who can take care about the national interests of

his country and represent the Karabakh issue in a due manner. "All of

the candidates seem to have certain national ideology, except Levon

Ter-Petrosian, who has proved with his whole activity and is now

stating that the democratic values and human rights are more important

to him than the rights and the interests if his nation," he said.

 

The aggressive policy, in the opinion of Melik-Shahnazarian, does

not imply making warlike statements in the manner of Azerbaijan,

but posing certain conditions and making certain demands.

 

"For example, we have the right to claim a place for Nagorno-Karabakh

Republic representative in the UN, even without a right of vote. Let

us not forget that the UN is an organization of united nations,

not states. We can demand the statehood of NKR to be recognized

officially. Artsakh must become a part of the conflict," said the

political scientist.

 

Melik-Shahnazarian added that the negotiations on Karabakh will be

much calmer in 2008, than during the previous years. He assured that

the possibility of a new war is ridiculously low, as none of the

major states is interested in a war in South Caucasus.