Azernews.Az

Armenian President Robert Kocharian has claimed that Kosovo's recent declaration of independence could set a precedent for Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, an Azeri region occupied by Armenia.
He maintained in a meeting with students at the Yerevan State University Friday that what he called the Kosovo precedent could promote recognition of the so-called "Upper Garabagh's independence".
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on February 17. Baku criticized the move, saying it did not recognize the province as an independent state. Armenians hope for the application of the Kosovo model in Upper Garabagh. Azerbaijani officials have dismissed the claims.
Kocharian said this "precedent" would provide additional opportunities to Yerevan in talks on settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
The aggressor country's leader alleged that the dispute could be solved only on the condition that the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic is granted independence or it "enters Armenia as a federation or a confederation".
"There is no other way to settle the conflict," Kocharian claimed.
He said a long-term struggle was needed to achieve the "independence" of the self-styled republic. "No one will ever bring independence on a silver platter. We have to be decisive and persevere in this struggle."
Kocharian said that Kosovo has gained a number of advantages due to its being located in the center of Europe. He admitted that the Kosovo case differed from Garabagh in that respect.
"Garabagh's independence is a fact for us. The only issue that remains is for other states to recognize this fact," he claimed.
Commenting on the statement, the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry spokesman Khazar Ibrahim said the Armenian leader was well aware that his aspirations were completely in contradiction with reality.
"Upper Garabagh has never had and will never have a different status within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said. "The international community takes an unequivocal position in this respect as well. If the incumbent Armenian leadership starts speculating on the matter, they will be the ones who lose."
Upper Garabagh is an Azeri region occupied by Armenia since the 1994 cease-fire ended separatist hostilities that killed an estimated 30,000 people and ousted about a million Azeris out of their homes. Years of peace talks have brought little tangible result.

Timeout
The Armenian president said a break had been announced in talks on settling the Garabagh conflict till fall.
"Negotiations have been put on hold due to the October presidential elections in Azerbaijan," he said.
Kocharian added that although substantial talks would not take place until after the election, Armenia's new president Serzh Sarkisian would attempt to hold discussions on Garabagh with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at some international events.