No Attack by Azerbaijan to Remain Unpunished – Serzh Sarkisian

Armenia’s Ballistic Missiles Range is 300 km and Can Hit Any Settlement in Azerbaijan

YEREVAN — Deadly ceasefire violations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone will likely decrease after the weekend Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in Russia, President Serzh Sarkisian said in an interview broadcast on Monday.

Sarkisian also indicated that he and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev did not narrow their differences on a framework peace accord proposed by international mediators at their talks in Sochi that were hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nor did they agree any dates for their next meeting, he told the Armnews TV channel.

In Sarkisian’s words, Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks still center on the most recent version of the Basic Principles which were nearly accepted by him and Aliyev at a 2011 summit held in another Russian city, Kazan. “We have been conducting negotiations on the Kazan document, and that is the 2011 document which Azerbaijan’s president refused to sign at the last minute, he said.

Sarkisian told Armnews, “I don’t think that [ceasefire violations] will continue with the same intensity first of all because the incidents showed that the Armenian armed forces completely control the situation and all Azerbaijani attempts certainly failed.”

Sarkisian again blamed Baku for the escalation, saying that it was aimed at putting pressure on the American, Russian and French mediators and intimidating the Armenian side. “They wanted to show themselves and others than they are strong, that their armed forces are combat ready, that they can, as they put it, punish the Armenian armed forces. But as we can see, that delusion has left them in an unfavorable position,” he claimed.

“These events demonstrated just how far our armed forces have gone in improving their professionalism,” he added.

Echoing statements by other Armenian leaders, Sarkisian also portrayed the outcome of the latest upsurge in violence as a serious setback for the Azerbaijani military. He said it is further proof that Baku cannot achieve a military superiority over the Armenians and end the Karabakh conflict by force with massive arms acquisitions.

“I sometimes think that some people in Baku spend evening hours playing computer war games,” he said. “They need to realize that the virtual world is one thing and reality another thing.”

Regarding the war threats coming from Baku, Sarkisian said that Armenia has ballistic missiles that have a range of 300 km and can ruin any settlement in Azerbaijan. “If they don’t care for their own lives, if they are aiming at Yerevan, let them consider the consequences,” Sarkisian said.

As regards ceasefire observation agreements, President Sarkisian said. “I do not think there is a sense in a new agreement. What’s the difference whether the agreements are being signed now or were signed in the past? The sides must now honor the agreements signed in 1994-1995. Another question is if any new provisions are proposed and an agreement is signed based on the new provisions on absolute non-use of force. This is a higher level than the ceasefire agreements. And both the mediators are we raise such issues from time to time. But we do not yet see Azerbaijan’s positive response.”