As promised, Third President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan undertakes to address questions of public interest.
The published video material and five short videos titled “Let us talk sincerely: Serzh Sargsyan about the April War” are Serzh Sargsyan’s first attempt of direct communication with the public ever since 2018.
President Sargsyan had repeatedly stated that when the time comes, he would answer the questions of concern to society. And the topic of the April war is the first among them.
To remind, before the April 16 sitting of the National Assembly’s Investigative Commission, the Third President of Armenia promised to hold a press conference shortly after the state of emergency is lifted in order to answer any question associated with the April, 2016 events.
However, due to the fact that the COVID-19-related state of emergency is being extended on and on in our country, holding a press conference in that format appeared to be impossible, and the format of short videos was chosen. It is not supposed to substitute the traditional press conferences but will only anticipate them in the current situation.
Serzh Sargsyan wants every citizen to have an opportunity to hear from him personally the answers to many questions of public interest and learn of what happened based on substantiated facts, as well as get his views on the future of our country.
***
Let Us Be Outspoken: As Promised, Serzh Sargsyan Answers Questions of Public Interest
– Why did you decide to start a conversation in this format and at this very moment?
– Good afternoon. I had promised to hold a press conference once the state of emergency was lifted so as to answer your question related to the Four-Day April War in an outspoken way. We will decide on the spot what will be the topic of my next press conference: the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process, the 2018 April events or any other topic of interest to our citizens, our people?
– Why do you not want to hold the promised press conference?
– I regret that the failed campaign against the epidemic and, as a result, the protracted state of emergency prevent me from honoring my pledge. But I do believe that we must close the chapter of the past.
– Does this mean that you are striving to bring back the past?
– It is obvious that there can be no return to the past, but it is equally clear that it is impossible to achieve a good future without a proper understanding of the past. The history of the Republic of Armenia, the history of newly independent Armenia could not have started in April, 2018.
– Is the press conference you promised still valid?
– I decided to fulfill my promise by addressing the past two years’ most frequently asked questions in this format. Me, too, I am looking forward to holding the promised press conference as soon as it may prove possible.
– And what to do now?
– We have a lot to do. We need to mobilize all the resources of our state, all capable forces and individuals and push ahead without despair.
1
Let us be outspoken: Serzh Sargsyan about the April war
– Why did you keep silent before the parliamentary hearings on the April war?
– I kept silent for a long time just because I did not want the situation to escalate in our country, exasperated with deeper polarization and dividing lines in society.
– What prevented you from speaking out?
– 2018 was a very emotional year. Chaos and aggression grew day by day, rejoicing only our enemies. A larger part of our society was not prepared to perceive simple truths in such an emotional environment.
– And what was the solution?
– It took some time before everyone realized what was going on. But we will talk about it later in more detail.
2
Let us be outspoken: Serzh Sargsyan about the April war
– Did the NA April War Investigation Commission reveal the truth? And what is the truth after all?
– The truth is as follows: in April, 2016, our aggressive neighbor attacked us and lost the campaign. These were the largest-scale hostilities ever since 1994, during which the enemy used almost every type of weaponry in its arsenal. But our army quickly went over to the defensive and retaliated so powerfully that the enemy retreated. They suffered heavy losses, their plans failed. The army deserves praise, not accusations, or even criticism in similar cases.
– Did the Commission not pursue a political goal? Why did you decide to attend the Commission’s hearings?
– I was invited to the hearing, and I couldn’t help but attend it because I had absolutely nothing to conceal. Even though the concern about the members of the commission was appropriate, I had to go and tell the truth, which had to be put on record.
A final conclusion will be formed after the Commission has sent its findings to the National Assembly. Truth and common sense should come first.
3
– You came under harsh criticism for losing 800 hectares of Armenian territory during the April War. Was it a victory for good?
– Yes, the April War was a victory indeed. It was a victory over a numerically superior enemy who unexpectedly attacked and used almost all types of weapons in his arsenal.
We defended our cities, villages and successfully repelled their large-scale offensive. Their goal was not to simply capture several hundred hectares.
But let us go back to those 800 hectares. To be more accurate, we are talking about 400 hectares, not 800. In my comments delivered in the wake of the hostilities, I meant that they had managed to take control of 800 hectares out of a total of 800 thousand hectares in the security belt.
– Why did you not order our armed forces to get back that section of the security belt?
– I did not insist that the Armenian army redeem that section, since I preferred to save the lives of soldiers. And I was firmly determined in my decision.
4
– Why did we suffer so many casualties?
– I sincerely regret that we were unable to save everyone. My thoughts and feelings are with their families. It would be unrealistic to expect that we could have no casualties during the hostilities. But we all saw how heroically our soldiers and commanders fought. 75 of them remained forever young, defending Artsakh and Armenia.
– How do you assess the operations of the Armenian army?
– According to intelligence data, the enemy suffered 4-5 times more casualties in terms of military personnel, officers, including senior officers and weaponry. Even our opponents recently admitted that the Azeri side lost over 1,000 servicemen during the April War.
– What kind of feelings did you have after the April War?
– After such a great battle and victory, we were sad and full of sorrow, but at the same time we were proud of our servicemen, officers, generals, all those who took part in that heroic battle.
5
– Which way did the April War affect the ongoing negotiations over the peaceful resolution of the NK conflict?
– I am glad that we managed to make sure that the war did not bring any benefit to Azerbaijan.
You may remember Aliyev saying that he was being urged “behind closed doors” to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. Of course, this is the most direct evidence of our diplomatic achievements.
– Was there any other improvement in the wake of the April War?
– The Vienna and St. Petersburg statements were among our diplomatic achievements indeed. Following the hostilities, the OSCE Minsk Group issued a statement to the effect that the 1994 tripartite ceasefire agreement remained in force.
– Do you think the Armenian side could avail itself of the aforementioned diplomatic achievements?
– The MG co-chairing nations stated at the highest level that international mechanisms for border incident investigation had to be introduced in the conflict zone. This was a landmark achievement.
Now it remains to see how we could benefit from the results of the April War and why the “revolutionary authorities” neglected and failed to take advantage of the achievements we had during the Four-Day April War?
Office of 3rd President of RA