Giro Manoyan: “Oil likes peace”
Director of the ARF bureau's Hay Dat and political affairs office Giro Manoyan says the likelihood of a new war in Karabakh is low at the moment.
"Azerbaijan is likely to start a war in case Armenia-Turkey relations are settled or in case Aliyev's administration is certain of its victory," Manoyan told a press conference on July 15.
"Azerbaijan realizes that resumption of military actions is not desirable for the mediators. Azerbaijan is well aware of the destruction that a new war may bring. They know that the war will inflict serious damages to Azerbaijan's economy which largely relies on oil industry. Oil likes peace," said the ARF representative.
Manoyan says Azerbaijan is just stalling for time as it hopes to settle the Karabakh conflict in its favour in 10 years' time. At the same time he does not rule out the possibility of a spontaneous war.
According to the ARF official, Karabakh should be involved in the talks as quickly as possible, and not after reaching an agreement on key principles.
President Barack Obama's nominee for US Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern told senators Wednesday he would not use the word "genocide" to describe the killing of more than one million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire. Commenting on Heffern's statement, Manoyan advised US-based Armenian organizations to seriously contemplate over supporting Heffern's candidacy.
"Like Marie Yovanovitch, Heffern neither accepts nor denies the Armenian Genocide," said the director of ARF bureau's Hay Dat Office.
