PARIS—The international community must take Azerbaijan’s threats of regaining the Nagorno-Karabakh seriously and condemn Baku’s ongoing arms-buying spree, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian told Agence France Presse during an interview while he was visiting the French capital.
“We can only be worried by the policy of militarisation and over-arming undertaken by Azerbaijan, because there are also clear and explicit threats against our country,” he said. “The international community must react to this situation.”
But he said the negotiations should be expanded to include representatives of the authorities in Karabakh.
“To have real and serious progress in the negotiating process the format must be re-established to have participants from Nagorno Karabakh,” Sahakian said.
He said he believed a negotiated solution was possible and insisted authorities in Karabakh would not be the ones to start a new war.
“It is a complex conflict, you cannot expect a solution from one day to the next. But there is no alternative to peace and dialogue,” Sahakian said.
Sahakian said he was hoping to drum up investment in France in the hopes of boosting the region’s small economy, which relies mainly on agriculture, manufacturing and some mining.
He said he also expected progress soon on one of the region’s key efforts – resuming commercial flights into a revamped airport in the capital, Stepanakert.
Sahakian said Karabakh was “not very far” from being prepared to restore flights into the region and that he hoped they could resume this year.
“This initiative must not be linked with resolving the conflict or be seen in this context,” Sahakian said. “Civil flights that will be established between Yerevan and Stepanakert are aimed simply at helping us emerge from the isolation that has been imposed on us.”
This conflict will stay unresolved for many years. History dictates that Kharabagh has always been autonomous. Even when Iran had control over the region. I’ve been to Stepanakert and the greatest defense is its mountains. It’s quite frankly difficult to occupy for a foreign army, and of course the will of the people to be independent. . I agree with Mr. Sahakians statement. That a real , solid solution can only be reached when Kharabagh has a seat at the table.