NKR Defense Minister Movses Hakobyan told reporters at a press conference held today that any talk regarding the return of territories in Karabakh was meaningless since those lands were liberated at great human sacrifice and that everyone has "shared memories" connected to them. In response to reporters' questions regarding various statements being bandied about that certain territories are to returned, Defense Minister Hakobyan stated that at issue for the NKR army isn't the return of lands but ensuring the security of the Karabakh people. He added that if the people of Karabakh decide that these lands must be protected, the army would carry out its mission. "We must take corresponding measures to force the enemy to the negotiating table as quickly as possible and the only way to do this is to obligate him to do so in his own backyard. The more the conflict is moved to our side, the longer a settlement will be in coming. The quicker we can take the fight to his side, the sooner it will end," stated Defense Minister Hakobyan. He also stated that the NKR Army was doing all possible to force Azerbaijan to once again sit down and negotiate and to refrain from resuming military operations. When asked about the NKR's participation in the negotiation's process, Mr. Hakobyan stated that nothing would come out of the talks as presently constituted since everyone understands that the Karabakh issue must be settled in Karabakh itself. "I believe we have nothing to be worried about since the President of the Republic of Armenia cannot make a decision that will be deleterious to the NKR or one that the people will not accept," Mr. Hakobyan said. As to the recent statement of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan that Karabakh armed forces must withdraw from certain territories before any possible normalization of relations with Armenia, the defense minister noted, "The only one that can decide to the withdrawal of forces is the one who decided to place them there in the first place."