Suren Surenyants, a member of the Republic Party’s political council, expressed the view that a certain portion of the liberated territories of Karabakh must be returned in order to avert the resumption of hostilities with Azerbaijan. He made the comment at a press conference held earlier today in Yerevan. When asked by this Hetq reporter if he had consulted with the people of the NKR prior to making such a statement, Mr. Surenyants answered, "I am not a populist. Often, politicians try to convince the public, by way of sincere dialogue, why certain solutions are called for. I do not believe that only public opinion is a basis to formulate political policy. There is also the opposite logic when political figures shape public opinion." Mr. Surenyants argued that the territories in question had been liberated to create a security buffer zone for Karabakh. "When I speak about those territories, I prefer to use the term ‘security zone’. There is no doubt that sooner or later a portion of them will be returned to Azerbaijan as a result of the negotiation process. If a politician claims otherwise..." He went on to say that any concession is unfortunate but that we must face reality. He argued that there would be no lasting settlement of the issue when the two sides remained adamant in not giving an inch and that the alternative would be another war. "I do not want war and if war were to break out, I would consider whether to participate or not. The function of a politician is to safeguard the security and peace of the people. If war breaks out I would conduct my affairs according to the interests of my government," the Republic Party member concluded.