YEREVAN. – Contacts between the representatives of civil societies of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan are necessary for the settlement, former NKR president Arkady Ghukasyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“In my understanding, the purpose of the settlement is not just a formal rejection of hatred but achieving historic reconciliation between peoples which revives the traditions of good neighborly relations and leaves no prerequisites for future conflicts. Contacts between societies can give rise to this path,” he said.

At the same time, Arkady Ghukasian noted with regret that the Azerbaijani authorities continue to impose the atmosphere of hatred on their society and torpedo any initiative to promote dialogue with the Karabakh party at all levels.

“And this is the road to nowhere,” he resumed.