It Has Never Been a Religious War: Armen Sarkissian to ArabNews

The leading English-language newspaper in the Middle East, ArabNews, has published an interview with President Armen Sarkissian.

Faisal Abbas: I have several questions about Azerbaijan, but there is another question regarding perceptions and reality. It is possible that people here do not talk much about it, but there is a perception in the Middle East, perhaps propagated by the Turks or Azerbaijanis, that this is a religious war.

President Sarkissian: It has never been a religious war. Armenia has very good relations with many Islamic countries. The Azerbaijani side sometimes likes to use such rhetoric in hopes of obtaining support from the Islamic world. For example, Armenia has never tried to obtain support from the Christian world in such a way, since the conflict has not had a Christian or religious nature.

However, it seems that Karabakh is internationally considered part of Azerbaijan. The OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation), the Gulf region, are all interested in establishing peace. What expectations do you have from the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) or the OIC? How can they assist in resolving this conflict?

I expect support from all our friends, whether in the Gulf, the Middle East, or Europe, to lead the conflict to a logical resolution.

Faisal Abbas: What kind of logical resolution do we see?

President Sarkissian: As I mentioned, 26 years ago, the Armenian side emerged victorious; however, in some sense, we were unable to use our position as winners to establish lasting peace. Of course, the rights of the people living in Nagorno-Karabakh must be taken into account, as these people have lived there for thousands of years. There are still many emotions, wounds, and unresolved issues related to demarcation and delimitation, as well as other questions, including the future of the people living in Nagorno-Karabakh.

There exists an internationally recognized structure—the OSCE Minsk Group and its co-chairing countries. I believe we must return to the negotiating table once again. The new reality is that Russia has a significant influence in the region, as it brought about a ceasefire and supports both Armenia and Azerbaijan in resolving demarcation, delimitation, and other issues. Russian peacekeepers are currently in Nagorno-Karabakh. I cannot claim that this issue has been definitively resolved. Only time will tell what the final solution will be. I believe that any decision that is final must be logical—a resolution acceptable to both sides. Any solution that is imposed cannot last long.