If West grants independence to Kosovo, it cannot fail to recognize right of Karabakh people to self-determination

PanARMENIAN.Net - "Serzh Sargsyan, tipped by analysts as a likely future president of Armenia, thinks that Armenia still needs help from its strategic ally Moscow to defend itself. Russia has 5 000 troops stationed in RA," Reuters writes in its article titled "Armenia criticizes EU, NATO over Turkish blockade". "I do not think that the Turkish threat has disappeared and our Russian military base is a guarantee against the Turkish threat," Prime Minister of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan stated to the agency.



Speaking about the Nagorno Karabakh problem, S. Sargsyan also said that if Western nations grant independence to the Serbian province of Kosovo, they cannot fail to recognize the right of the Nagorno Karabakh people to self-determination. Reuters reminds that Nagorno Karabakh, a mountainous region located within Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders, broke away from Azeri control during a war in the 1990s and has proclaimed independence, though this has not been accepted internationally. "Talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the future of Nagorno Karabakh have dragged on for years. A meeting between the presidents of the two nations in St. Petersburg last month ended with no breakthrough. The Azeris want Armenian forces to withdraw from all territory surrounding Nagorno Karabakh before starting substantial talks on the enclave's status," the agency writes. "I see the solution of this issue based on compromise but I do not see any steps or reactions from the Azeri side. We have done all we can," S. Sargsyan underscored.



Asked about his own political ambitions, S. Sargsyan said it was likely he would be the presidential candidate of Armenia's ruling Republican party. "However, the final decision will be made at a party congress this autumn," the RA Prime Minister said.