Armenian President calls on OSCE Minsk Group to get rid of Turkey`s  involvement in Karabakh conflict

ArmInfo. My message to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs is clear - let's get rid of Turkey's involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, reach a ceasefire and  return the parties to the negotiating table. This was stated by  Armenian President Armen Sarkissian during an intercity conference  organized by the Greek Union of Journalists JUDAN entitled "Crisis in  the Caucasus - Causes of War", adding that there is no better format  than the OSCE MG.

The Armenian president touched upon the destabilizing and  expansionist policy of Turkey and stressed that on September 27  Azerbaijan decided to abandon the peace process and unleash a war,  and Turkey is providing it with full political, diplomatic and  military assistance.

Speaking about the reasons for Turkey's intervention, the Armenian  President stated that in the past few years Ankara has been trying to  become an energy hub, a country that will manage the flows of energy  resources from the Caspian Sea, Central Asia, Azerbaijan to Western  Europe.

Sarkissian added that this is not only about the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan  gas pipeline. "Having become a party to the conflict, along with  Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, Turkey is physically there under the  pretext of helping its ethnic brothers or protecting international  logistics pipelines. In fact, it is a ploy to be there, and not only  to be, but also to rule. Thus, Turkey will have a big impact on  Azerbaijan's politics, and ultimately it will also have a big impact  on European countries and Central Asia. Turkey wants to play a  leading role in energy flows, to be the main dominant country that  controls energy flows from the east, from the south, possibly from  the north to Europe, "the Armenian leader expressed his conviction.

At the same time, the Armenian President added that Turkey is talking  about the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan at a time when it  itself occupied the territories of Syria, Iraq and Cyprus, which is  illogical, since the statements and actions do not coincide. He also  recalled Turkey's use of the Syrian refugee factor as an effective  tool to put pressure on Europe and receive money.

Sarkissian also pointed to Turkey's use of Islamic extremists as a  tool to promote its foreign and domestic policy. In this context, he  recalled the recruitment and transfer of jihadists from Syria and  Libya to the Karabakh conflict zone by Turkey.  At the same time, the  Armenian leader is convinced that the instability in the region  caused by the actions of Turkey may affect Russia, Iran, and possibly  Central Asia. In this vein, he drew attention to the threat of  genocide against Armenians.  Clarifying what Armenia expects from  Russia, the United States and the European Union, Sarkissian called  on all partners to fully understand the essence of this conflict and  clearly declare the need to end the war.  "There must be a clear and  strong statement that a ceasefire is an absolute necessity, that  Turkey must get out of this conflict.  I expect NATO to clarify its  position. If this organization has set completely different goals  since its inception, how can it put up with such a behavior of its  member country in the Caucasus, "Sarkissian asked.

At the same time, the Armenian leader considered it logical Greece's  proposal to introduce an embargo on arms sales to Turkey by EU and  NATO member states. "If the weapons sold to Turkey were used against  the aggressor, international Islamist terrorists, I would understand  this, but when they come from NATO member states and target the  civilians of Artsakh, this is unacceptable. If this idea or step is  approved by other countries, Armenia will welcome such an initiative,  "the President said, in this context expressing gratitude to the  Greek side for their support.

In conclusion, he once again stressed that Turkey's intervention in  the Karabakh conflict completely changes the situation, since for  every Armenian today, Ankara's participation in the war against  Armenians resembles genocide. "This is a question that the Armenian  people cannot accept," Sarkissian summed up, expressing gratitude to  the Diaspora for their active role