“Aravot” interviews David Shahnazaryan
– Mr. Shahnazaryan, maintaining peace in the contact line is a failure. Subversive acts are constantly carried out by the opponent, also shootings and provocations. How do you explain the behavior of the Azerbaijani side?
– It is obvious that the tactics in the contact line by the Armenian sides should be made more advanced and more in line with current realities. A plan should be developed and implemented so that only contracted and experienced soldiers will serve in the front line. Since 2012, Azerbaijan is implementing a hybrid war against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. This type of hybrid war features and specifications in the 21st century were given still two years ago by the Russian General Staff and was called a “non-linear” war. Unlike the Artsakh war of the 90-ies, information and foreign policy components, the comprehensive diplomatic activity, public sector activities and the humanitarian component are more important in the contemporary armed conflicts.
Armenia’s government authorities are not doing enough in this direction and focus mainly on the military component of the war. By the efforts of Azerbaijani, the snipers’ war have already turned into a war of sabotage and can develop into an artillery war, after which, there is one step up to a full-scale war, and such developments may break out even spontaneously and without any political decision.
Read also
Both in the information and foreign policy sector, Armenia has major things to do. Being a presiding country in G20, Turkey has already invited Azerbaijan to the next summit of G20. It is necessary to implement major projects and be ready for all possible developments. It is also necessary to conduct consistent work with a number of countries and international organizations to bring the relationships therewith to a new quality and level.
One personal example. Ukrainian delegate and Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Assembly of Euronest, Boris Tarasyuk’s view is shared by other western figures (Tarasyuk noted how Armenia was demanding the world to recognize the Armenian Genocide, if he does not admit that Russia commits aggression against Ukraine – E.G.). I believe that our relations with Ukraine, to say the least, are in insufficient level, and despite the fact that we are a member of the EaEU, Armenia is just obligated to pay special attention to the relations with Ukraine and conduct a comprehensive and consistent work, given the fact that Ukraine has and will have a very important role in the European politics by acting as an opinion-making country in the West.
– Recently, in his speech, the President of Armenia expressed concern on the sale of weapons to Azerbaijan by Russia. Armenian-Russian and Russian-Azerbaijani relations, in fact, in some sense, appeared in the conflict. Was it a right move by Serzh Sargsyan?
– Maintenance and increase of tension in the contact line is the Azerbaijani current policy. Azerbaijan has officially announced several times that it has come out of the ceasefire maintenance regime. Moreover, a few days ago, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced that international treaties are “just a scrap of paper”. Obviously, this first and foremost refers to the cease-fire agreements, as well as in the meantime signed and adopted numerous documents about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, perhaps, with the exception of the UN Security Council’s four resolutions with unique interpretation of distorting the reality by Turkey and Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijani this kind of policy is directly encouraged by Russia, which firstly contributes to the unprecedented and continuous supply of arms to this country, and in this respect, Serzh Sargsyan’s perhaps belated statement was appropriate that Russia’s arms sales to Azerbaijan may affect the Armenia-Russia relations. I think it was a message to Russia that not only Baku but also Moscow will bear the responsibility of outbreak of possible hostilities. Generally, deepening strategic partnership between Russia and Azerbaijan is more than alarming. It is noteworthy that recently Armenia’s domestic situation is presented distorted in the Russian press, allegedly, a “color revolution” is prepared in Armenia, which, of course, is far from reality. Russian media presents the events recorded in the contact line in the light of propaganda spread out exceptionally by Azerbaijani websites.
As for the basic negotiation process on Nagorno-Karabakh issue, then it is likely that the meeting of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be hosted in Paris in late April by the initiative of the French President Francois Hollande, it is also expected to discuss humanitarian issues. But as to what developments will follow, it is hard to say, as Moscow is seeking to deploy peacekeepers in the NK conflict zone under its or CSTO name.
– A few days ago, a contracted serviceman of the Defense Army, leaving his arms and ammunition behind, deserted his combat post and passed to the opponent’s side. This action became a reason for discussion of different estimates and hypothesis. What is your opinion about the happening?
– Absolutely, investigation should not only be conducted, but also a criminal case should be filed by several articles of the Criminal Code, including by the Article of state treason. A thorough and comprehensive investigation should be conducted. It’s a state treason and there is no justification to the contracted serviceman, regardless of socio-economic or psychological conditions. I do not rule out that this person with such a move pursues the goal to later on receive a political asylum in a third country. Even if he appears in a third country, then Armenia’s justice should be administered against the person accused of state treason in the third country.
– The EU Summit is to be held in May in Riga. European diplomats point out that it is necessary to have realistic expectations that the EU will not leave Armenia. What are Armenia’s expectations prior to the Riga summit, and what is the EU ready for in its relations with Armenia?
– So far, it seems that the EU is not decisive for the future of the plan not only about Armenia, but also the Eastern Partnership. The Riga summit, in my opinion, would be an important signal for making clarification of whether or not the EU will give a prospect of EU membership to Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova at least not in the near future. Clearly, the Western practice is not equivalent to rapid geopolitical developments, and in this sense, we must be ready for new challenges in the ever-changing world.
– And which is the biggest domestic challenge in our country?
– Our domestic most dangerous challenge continues to be the systemic corruption, which is the reason for constantly deepening socio-economic crisis and growing distrust in the public. Obviously, the waves of unrest and discontent will inevitably develop and expand.
Emma GABRIELYAN
