Interview of the President of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian to  CNBC TV channel.

Question: Nagorno Karabakh is an area with a population of about 100,000. We have seen hundreds killed in this latest clash. What will be the end? Maybe this should be part of international arbitration? Do you see the possibility that all parties will gather around one table? The world today is preoccupied with other issues: the impact of the coronavirus on the world economy, the US presidential election, US-China relations. Unfortunately, there is not enough adequate international attention to this issue yet. What do you think should happen to prevent this from escalating into a bigger conflict?

– The international community must understand that if they do not intervene now, the Caucasus will become another big problem for them. Can you imagine the Caucasus becoming another Syria?

Question: Does this mean that there will be big problems in the energy sector related to the gas pipelines?

-No, No: Do not look at this question in just one dimension. The world is not only conditioned by energy, it is much more complicated, and there are national interests, stability, trade, logistics and many other issues. We cannot simplify relations between countries based only on energy. Although I was chair of the Euro-Atlantic Security Initiative’s energy group about ten years ago, I do realize the potential of energy, but we cannot simplify it so much. Imagine the Caucasus becoming another Syria.

Question: Will it happen?

– I hope not, because it will be a great tragedy for everyone in the world. You mentioned that 150,000 people live in Karabakh, but you did not mention that they are Armenians, it does not matter whether they are 150,000 or 250,000. Nagorno Karabakh or Artsakh has been part of historical Armenia for thousands of years. It has always been inhabited by Armenians. It is a wonderful mountainous country with brave and proud people, Armenians. Even during the Soviet era, 90% of the local population were Armenians. Armenians connect the whole issue of Nagorno Karabakh with the history of their faith. They see this as another attempt by Turkey to commit genocide with the help of Azerbaijan. This is unacceptable for Armenians. The struggle will continue, and Armenians will prove that this problem will not be solved by force, and do you want it or not we must return to the negotiating table.

If you look at the activities of the current Turkish government, it seems that they have problems around them on 360 degrees: in the Mediterranean, in Greece, in Libya, in Iraq. They create problems everywhere.

They claim that Armenia is a threat to the international energy pipeline, which is absolute nonsense. This pipeline has existed for more than 20 years. If we have not done it in 20 years, why should we want to do it now, what is the purpose?