Armenia rules out ceding Karabakh land to Baku, vows to go to the end

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia’s Minister of Defense ruled out the return of any inch of land to Azerbaijan in the wake of the upcoming processes over Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), Tert.am reports.

Seyran Ohanyan said that Armenia wants only a peaceful settlement plan from the international mediators’ upcoming meeting in Moscow.

Asked to comment on the final outcome of the discussions spearheaded by the OSCE Minsk Group, the Minister replied, “I think the responsibility for our diplomacy lies upon the competent [government] agencies, which are profoundly informed of the negotiation process. We have only one expectation: implementation of our proposal to achieve a peaceful political solution to the Karabakh conflict, relying on a dialogue, mutual agreements, and, last but not least, confidence-building measures.”

Addressing rumors on surrendering some lands, Ohanyan stressed the importance of comprehensive decisions stemming from the negotiation process.

“In the existing reality when it is so hard to find common ground with the adversary – especially after the four-day war and given the increased provocations – [the mechanisms promoting] confidence-building on the frontline keep being rejected. Without an atmosphere of trust, mutual agreements will be out of the question. Should anything happen to Artsakh or its people, we will fight for every inch of land.”

Ohanyan said they have observed no tensions over the recent period, with the recently reached agreements being “more or less respected.” He added that Karabakh’s Defense Army uses no heavy equipment, relying only on preventive measures when necessary.