Armenia will be forced to recognize the de jure independence of Nagorno Karabakh in case of military actions on the part of Azerbaijan and take measures to ensure the safety of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said on Friday at the CSTO summit in Moscow, RIA Novosti reported.
"Armenia is totally against solving the problem through military means, and Armenia will have no choice but to de jure recognize Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and ensure its safety by all means in case of Azerbaijan's new military adventures," Sargsyan said.
The summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan held today in Moscow.
This was the third meeting of the presidents of the CSTO in 2010. An informal meeting of leaders - without a formal decision-making took place in Moscow in May and in Yerevan in August. Previous formal session was held in June 2009.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.