YEREVAN. – Armenian former president and oppositional leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s statement that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict might have been settled in 1997 by means of some territorial concessions in exchange for interim - and later final – status of Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) is evidence of his defeatism, Vice-Chairman of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Razmik Zohrabyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Territorial concessions are the easiest way of resolving the conflict. It can be done any moment. Ter-Petrosyan’s resignation was justifiable as he had disagreements with the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities over the ways of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

“On the other hand, the present authorities of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are in harmony with each other. Yerevan will accept the solution acceptable to [NK capital] Stepanakert,” Zohrabyan said.

In an interview with the BBC, Ter-Petrosyan said that a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was most realistic in 1997, when the problem could be resolved by yielding some territories to Azerbaijan, concluding a truce, and creating an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh to determine its final status later. However, Stepanakert, as well as Ter-Petrosyan’s milieu, objected to the idea. They believed negotiations would produce even better results.