“Until then, one of the political forces stated an opinion that we need to give away land in order to ensure peace… I can’t say whether that implication at the gathering was spread by those forces, or by those who want to make political attacks against Nikol Pashinyan,” political scientist, former member of parliament, and assistant to the president of Armenia Tevan Poghosyan said in a press conference, speaking about Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s announcement at the gathering on August 17th that people accuse him of wanting to give away land despite him never making any negotiations. The “Armenian National Congress” political party supports the tenets of the Madrid Principles (which state in one point that some territory needs to be returned to Azerbaijan) as a solution to the Artsakh conflict. Tevan Poghosyan describes the Madrid Principles as something that will never become a reality.
According to Tevan Poghosyan, no land was given based on operations made by any Armenian president. “Let no one think that Artsakh is in anyone’s pocket for people to talk about giving land away. The current operations do not show that anyone is prepared to give away land. Before agreeing with the political opposition that attempts to attack the prime minister, remember that society is also listening to you. Armenians need to realize the problems that stand in front of Artsakh’s security.”
Regarding the prime minister’s statement at the gathering that Artsakh needs to return to the negotiations table, Tevan Poghosyan said, “It’s understandable that Aliyev will not accept that tomorrow or in ten years from now. But, if you work on your power every day, the day will come when you can say ‘that’s it, it has to be like this.’ Yes, it’s possible for Artsakh to return to the negotiations table, and several operations will take place for that to happen.”
Luiza Sukiasyan
