"The passing year was a year of tolerance, and we will preserve the spirit for the coming year: we hope the 2012 will give wider opportunities for mutual understanding." RA NA Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov

"The passing year was a year of tolerance, and we will preserve the spirit for the coming year: we hope the 2012 will give wider opportunities for mutual understanding," Armenian National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker and the ruling coalition’s Republican Party of Armenia spokesperson Eduard Sharmazanov told news conference today summing up the main achievements and flaws of the passing year.

"During this year we have not only managed to effectively cooperate with the parliamentary opposition parties but with extra parliamentary as well. Of course because of well-known reasons it was suspended, but we are convinced that all the opportunities exist to repeat the attempt of the dialogue for the sake of the Republic of Armenia," Sharmazanov said, stressing that during the year flaws have also been registered.

As for Karabakh conflict he stated, “2012 will be a pre-election year for Armenia and Azerbaijan, and experience has shown that a pre-election year is not productive for a settlement. But Armenia’s approach is in keeping with the international community’s approach. The conflict must be settled within the boundaries of international law. The world is moving toward the pre-eminence of the right for self-determination, and the vivid example of this is South Sudan. I am confident that one day Nagorno-Karabakh will become an independent state,” Eduard Sharmazanov noted.       

As per NA Deputy Speaker, if the international community truly wishes for the conflict to be settled, Nagorno-Karabakh must become a negotiating side, and Azerbaijan must refrain from racist statements.