December 2, 2005 - 15:14 AMT
RA General Staff Chief Didn't Rule Out Progress in Karabakh Settlement in 2006
The situation at the contact line of the Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijani Armed Forces is rather quiet, RA General Staff Chief, Colonel General Mikael Harutyunyan stated. In his words, both sides are presently taking construction and engineering measures. When asked to comment on the possible resumption of hostilities and specifically Baku's military statements, Mikael Harutyunyan said, "We do not exclude such development and get ready for it. However I do not think Azerbaijan will take such a step in the near future." He also did not rule out provocation from the Azeri side.

Mikael Harutyunyan did not rule out that some progress will be achieved in the negotiation process on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in 2006. "The elections in Azerbaijan are over and the Presidents will have the possibility to talk in a quiet atmosphere," he noted. When touching upon the possible deployment of peacekeepers in the conflict zone the RA General Staff Chief noted that everything depends on the negotiations, reported IA Regnum.