Serzh Sargsyan: It is impossible to resolve Karabakh conflict by seeking to address its consequences rather than its root causes

It is impossible to resolve the Karabakh conflict by seeking to address its consequences rather than its root causes, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said during a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  

The official website of the Kremlin quotes Serzh Sargsyan as saying, "Naturally, during the talks today we focused on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement and the implementation of the agreements reached during the summits in Vienna and St Petersburg. This includes, first and foremost, the unequivocal fulfillment of the 1994-1995 indefinite trilateral agreements on cessation of hostilities, the formation of a mechanism for investigating incidents and the expansion of the mission of the personal representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

I have again thanked the President of Russia for Russia's efforts as the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group in partnership with the United States and France, and for his significant personal contribution to the peace process. We discussed in detail the main principles and approaches to the resolution of this complicated issue in Sochi two years ago and they have remained unchanged since then.

It is impossible to resolve such a conflict by seeking to address its consequences rather than its root causes. The core of the Karabakh issue lies in the struggle of the people of Karabakh for self-determination - an inalienable right of all nations in resolving such issues, which should be respected and guaranteed. This is what we discussed in detail with the President of Russia today.

Peaceful negotiations on such a sensitive issue can never be simple.  But all attempts to upset the balance of forces or create winners and losers are doomed to fail. Each side should benefit from realistic, clear-cut and feasible solutions that are rooted in mutual respect and trust rather than hatred and xenophobia."

span style="mso-spacerun: yes">  As the saying goes, a sound mind in a sound body," he stressed.