The growing tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone were the key topic of my meeting with the Russian and Azerbaijani presidents in Sochi, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview to Armnews.
He said that the parties are obliged to comply with the cease-fire agreements signed in 1994-1995 and there is no need to sign any new agreement except for the case if the parties agree not to use military force at all. "This is a higher status than cease-fire regime. The co- chairs and we have regularly made such proposals but Azerbaijan has ignored them," Sargsyan said.
He sees no need for starting everything anew. "We are negotiating on the basis of the Madrid Principles and we see no alternative to peaceful negotiations," Sargsyan said.
He said that there was no need for the Collective Security Treaty Organization to interfere when tensions were high. "Their Secretary General will visit us shortly, which proves their loyalty to their members," Sargsyan said.
He said that the Armenian society showed a unanimous attitude towards the last situation. "One of the reasons we defeated Azerbaijan in the 1990s was a split in their society," Sargsyan said.
He said that the Azerbaijani authorities' statements that Armenia is collapsing comes from similar statements by the Armenian opposition, so, he advised the oppositionists to be more restrained in what they say now that their country is faced with neither war nor peace situation.
Regarding the war threats coming from Baku, Sargsyan said that Armenia has ballistic missiles that have a range of 300 km and can ruin any settlement. "If they don't care for their own lives, if they are aiming at Yerevan, let them consider the consequences," Sargsyan said.