“The people of Karabakh will not give up their independence and are in favor of long-term peace and stability; we are ready to start political dialogues with all the interested parties in the region” said the president of Karabakh, Arkadi Ghukasyan in the U.S.A. to “Novoe Slovo”, “Inner city press” newspapers and “Ararat”, “AGBU” magazines.
As for the current situation of the Karabagh conflict, the president said that the non-constructive approach of the Azeri president towards the conflict settlement issue was an obstacle for the process since the Azeri president did not want to negotiate with Karabagh directly and create an atmosphere of trust in the region.
Arkadi Ghukasyan is currently in the U.S. with the purpose of taking part in the Telethon on November 23 aimed towards collecting donations for the improvement of Karabagh.
During his visit, the president of Karabakh visited the Armenian Church branch of North America and had a meeting with Catholicos Oshakan Choloyan. At the end of the meeting there was reception with the participation of the Armenian General Benevolent Union and other organizations. The president also visited the Eastern Branch of the Armenian Church of America and met with Archbishop Khajak Parsamyan, as well as organizations collaborating with Armenia.
During the visit to New York, the president had a meeting with Hakob Kuyumjan and Harutyun Mkhchyan, who have given a lot of charities to Karabagh. They discussed issues concerning the effectiveness of the benevolent programs implemented in Karabagh and their enlargement.
Ghukasyan’s visit coincided with the U.S. congressional elections, which the Democrats won. It is said that the American Armenians like the Democrats more and their victory in the elections may encourage them be more active in the Telethon.