Armenian army lost 800 hectares in security zone around Karabakh in April hostilities yet fulfilled its mission - Armenian president
YEREVAN. May 17 (Interfax) - The Armenian side lost 800 hectares in the security zone around Nagorno-Karabakh in the April escalation of tensions in the Karabakh conflict zone, but it was more important to avoid casualties and the Armenian army accomplished its mission in the end, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said on Tuesday.
"The Armenian forces, which had a security zone of 800,000 hectares, lost 800 hectares. These territories have no importance from a strategic angle, while from the psychological point of view the Azerbaijanis may convince their people that they have attained some result," Sargsyan told the Armenian media in an interview after the Vienna negotiations.
"Still, compare 800 hectares, for each of which one was killed and two were injured. Only the Azerbaijanis know the precise number. Compare and see how many men they would have lost to seize 800,000 hectares," the Armenian president said.
In his words, the Armenian army was able "to restore the status quo."
"It was about making a choice. Were those 800 hectares worthy of losing men we would still need very much? I set the task of preventing a break through our front and disrupting plans of the enemy. All of you can see that the enemy's plan has failed. Our army has accomplished its mission and it will continue to do so," the Armenian president said.
Sargsyan added that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Armenia at the meeting in Vienna of starting the hostilities in April.
"The Azerbaijani president looked at me and the intermediaries and said that the April events were initiated by us. I am sure you can imagine my answer. This is it. The Azerbaijani president repeated a dozen times that Baku wished to resolve that problem only in a peaceful way. The situation is not good, but it is what it is. We are not the first to make a violation because we simply do not need this," Sargsyan said.
He also said that Azerbaijan had actually accepted the proposal to enact mechanisms for studying border incidents.
"There were no preconditions for the approval of monitoring. I do not know who in Azerbaijan is claiming that the Armenian troops will be withdrawn in exchange for the approval of monitoring, but I am dealing with the Azerbaijani president and he has not said that," the Armenian president said.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev took part in the discussion of the Karabakh situation initiated by the foreign ministers of the cochair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group in Vienna on Monday.
