The political scientist about the recent statement of NKR Prime Minister and Armenia’s Foreign Department being a Department of Russia’s Foreign Ministry
So far, Stepanakert was claiming that they had not officially received the documents containing the Madrid called principles, consequently, they could not make comment. In the meantime, at the Q&A with the social network users, last week, the Nagorno-Karabakh Prime Minister, Ara Harutyunyan, stated, “Of course, the Madrid principles are unacceptable for us. What we hear, we have heard from the newspapers, media, and the statements by the representatives of co-chair countries, and I do not think that if Artsakh is a side of the talks, it will hold discussions on this issue, and (…) when in the end, such document will be submitted to Artsakh, Artsakh people, and the government, it can get any positive response.”
Since the last decade, this appears to be the first such statement voiced by Stepanakert. To the question of Aravot that under the current geopolitical situation, what such position by official Stepanakert means in the event when the Madrid principles appeared to be acceptable negotiation provisions for the official Yerevan, “Hayazn” party Board member, Armen Aghayan said at the semi-secret format of the talks enables to refrain from the necessity to answer the difficult questions for some time. This was in all the rounds, at all recommendations by the co-chairs. The public mainly learned about them through ad hoc international outflows, whose were aimed at checking the response of political forces, civil society, and directly conflict-related groups.
And every time, when the response was rough denial, our respective officials pretended not to know what is the matter about. And even in the case of becoming evident, the entities negotiating on behalf of Armenia have never rejected the anti-Armenian solutions. “Yerevan has periodically used Stepanakert for voicing comparatively tough and negative statements. I think that we have the same picture with regard to the Madrid principles. As long as they were discussed, Stepanakert was to be silent, and when the public rejection is obvious, and the next document has lost its relevance, Stepanakert is allowed to join the nationwide rejection. And Yerevan, in all cases, continues to stay in its role of agreeing to everything.
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This may seem a smart diplomacy for some people, but in reality, this is a children’s game, which does not have any external importance but an internal campaign,” said our interlocutor, adding, “Particularly, the following prime minister’s idea that “when Artsakh becomes a negotiating party, and Artsakh is presented such an offer, then it will not be discussed, and will be rejected” is only for internal use, since Artsakh can never be a negotiating party. Such a thing is simply impossible and there is no sense. Such statements are just an attempt to divert our and especially Artsakh people’s attention from the consistent defeatist policy of the Yerevan authorities, including the preliminary agreements give to the Madrid and other similar solutions.”
To the question of whether it is due to Armenia’s foreign ministry official silence about the NKR Prime Minister’s statement, our interlocutor said, “Armenia has no foreign policy, and what we consider to be an official department reminds of a local department of the Foreign Ministers, recently, more of a Russian Foreign Ministry. Naturally, it should be silent, and it’s better to be silent. When it speaks, it should definitely speak of an anti-Armenian initiative. It’d better keep silent.” To our question of what ratio can such position of NKR change in the settlement of the issue under this geopolitical situation, the political scientist countered that actually there is no and cannot be an NKR position, because there is no such an independent and sovereign entity. “Stepanakert says what is instructed, or at least is not prohibited from Yerevan. Therefore, it does not change any ratio. The ratio changes the collective position of the Armenian people, which is common both in Artsakh and in the capital of overall Armenian state and in other regions. It does not tolerate, and generally does not discuss any possibility of territorial concessions. And the Madrid principles is not the first document that the Armenian people throw into the bin of negotiation process.”
The efforts of the French side to arrange the meeting of presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev in Paris came to naught. Now, the United States has taken on the initiative. What does the French defeat prompt? Speaking about the questions whether the United States will be successful, or what the expected meeting of the leaders will produce, and whether it can be a turning point under this geopolitical situation, Armen Aghayan noted that in the opinion of many experts, the activeness of France was an attempt to take on the initiative from Russia, which now probably will be continued by the United States. “We need to understand that no one has time and willingness now to be engaged in merely Artsakh problems. Just in the background of developments in Ukraine, some noticed that Russia is selling excessive amount of weapons to Baku, simultaneously dissipating security promises to Yerevan. It could be a preparation of entering armed forces to the region by Russia. Today, it is simply unacceptable for the West. Moscow, Paris and Washington always share the same opinion on version for the Karabakh settlement. Even under this same opinion, they have never been so interested to compel such a shameful defeat from Armenians. Instead, disagreements have arisen between them, when it comes to the fact of whose troops should be stationed in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. In fact, the attempts by Paris and Washington to activate the negotiation processes pursue the goal to seize the trump card of the war from Russia’s hands.”
In this context, Armen Aghayan believes that we should not expect any significant turning point. According to our interlocutor, the MG is unable to generate mutually acceptable solution, at least because the war actually has been left unfinished.
NELLY GRIGORYAN
