18:43, 2 August 2004

Armenian Foreign Ministry reacts to Aliyev's statement

The recent statement addressed by President of Azerbaijan Ilkham Aliyev to ambassadors of his country gives cause to suppose that in practice Azerbaijan does want to settle the question of Nagorny Karabakh by peaceful means and it counts on the settlement of the question by force. Press Secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Gamlet Gasparian told it commenting on Mr Aliyev's statement that if negotiations produced no result, Azerbaijan would liberate its territories by all means, not excepting military actions.

"If it had been a usual public statement, like those the president of Azerbaijan makes for interior use, it wouldn't possibly have worth reacting. But this time he poses the problem to his ambassadors in such a way, which really raises deep concern," Gamlet Gasparian emphasized.

"We've stated many times that any attempt to settle the Karabakh problem by force will have disastrous effects on the entire region, and first of all on Azerbaijan," said the press secretary.

Author: Ashot Ter-Grigorian, CK correspondent

Source: Caucasian Knot