KARABAKH ONLY CONFLICT IN POST-SOVIET AREA THAT CAN BE RESOLVED - MEDVEDEV

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the only one in the post-Soviet area that can be settled now, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said.
"The only way is to negotiate, because alternative to negotiations does not exist. There's only a bad alternative - war," said he in an interview to AzTV.
"My answer is that much has been done in the recent few years to bring the positions of the parties closer. Prospects for an agreement, of course, exist," said Medvedev.
"In my opinion, this may be the only conflict in the post-Soviet area, which currently can be resolved. It all depends on the goodwill of the parties, on their ability and willingness to hear each other's arguments, and, frankly, there are no simple solutions" Russia's president added. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict sparked in the early 1990s when Karabakhi Armenians voiced their intention to live independently and later spiralled into a bloody war, leaving around 30,000 killed and more than a million displaced. Further, Dmitry Medvedev said compromise is the only way to agree on the settlement to the Karabakh conflict that has been protracted for two decades now.
"Agreement can be reached only on compromise basis. That is, each side must make their own way," added the Russian president. "Russia will promote this further."
Medvedev said he had "talked about this with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev when he called to congratulate me with the election results."
Speaking about the prospects of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Russian president said that he "dedicated to it quite a lot of time, perhaps like no other."
Eight meetings in the trilateral format with the participation of Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders have passed only with his meditation over the past few years.
According to the Russian head of state, "it was great, good job, because we managed to bring closer the positions".
"But it was possible with all sincerity to put aside those issues on which their position in the Nagorno-Karabakh problem apart, put honestly, openly, and to present all their arguments," continued Medvedev, stressing that "this is also the mission of a mediator to participate in such negotiations. "
"Moreover, the Russian Federation together with other members of the Minsk Group has made much effort for this. Not long ago I talked about it with other members of the Minsk Group, and with President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy," he said.
The peace talks over the Karabakh conflict are spearheaded by the OSCE Minsk Group that includes, US, France and Russia. However, there has been no breakthrough in the talks.

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