“Although 20% of Artsakh’s territory is left, we still play a big role in the world even in this situation. If Artsakh does not exist, the whole Transcaucasia will be under Turkish rule,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh, Davit Babayan, during an online discussion on “Artsakh’s Present and Future Vision,” which was attended by representatives of the Diaspora Armenian press. The initiative of the online discussion on “The Present and Future Vision of Artsakh” includes a number of Armenian periodicals in different countries of the world.
The participants of the online discussion were editors of Armenian periodicals in the Diaspora, other media representatives, and public and political figures who were interested in the future of Artsakh, stability in Artsakh, and the current humanitarian situation. The representatives of the Diaspora asked if the citizens of Artsakh would face the danger of being part of Azerbaijan again if they receive Russian citizenship.
Davit Babayan answered, “The problem is not Russian citizenship. Obtaining Russian citizenship is much easier now. Russia has liberalized the procedure for obtaining citizenship. People who were born in Soviet Armenia and whose parents were born there can apply for Russian citizenship. But the problem is that the issue of being part of Azerbaijan with us is a red line. We cannot be part of Azerbaijan. It is not possible: we were done with them, especially in the Soviet years, when the situation was incomparable. Azerbaijan was not independent at the time, and the Soviet Union was a powerful fist that suppressed any nationalism on the ground. Now Azerbaijan is an independent country where anti-Armenianism is a state ideology. Azerbaijan is also a multinational country. We must understand what Azerbaijan is without emotions.”
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In response to the question of how he imagines the future of Artsakh in a year and in the near future, Davit Babayan answered, “If the Russian peacekeepers leave Artsakh, there will be no Armenians left in Artsakh, or there will be a war with the emigration of Armenians. The most important thing is the settlement of this military-political issue. We are in favor of a settlement of this issue. It is clear that the term of the Russian peacekeeping mission will be extended after 2025, after which the situation will be very stable.”
In response to another question about if he considers the return of Armenian lands occupied by Azerbaijan through diplomatic channels to be possible, Davit Babayan answered, “It may be painful to say, but I do not believe it can happen. It is a pity, but the desire for land in Azerbaijan is higher than in our country. They will not give up even one millimeter voluntarily. They can try to deceive us by offering to return Hadrut on the condition that it becomes an autonomy within Azerbaijan, but it is clear that in that case everything will be theirs.”
Speaking about the future of Artsakh, Davit Babayan stated that we should avoid the worst-case scenario, the return to Azerbaijan, as it would be a disaster, and what will happen next, we will choose the option, according to Davit Babayan, it depends on us and many other processes.
In response to the other question of why they rejected the US’s offer to send Scandinavian peacekeepers, Davit Babayan answered, “We have not received an official offer from the Nordic countries to bring peacekeepers. Do you think that Norway, Sweden, and Iceland can carry out this peacekeeping mission better than the Russians, who have been in the region for centuries? I consider anti-Russian sentiments inadmissible. We are brother nations, and we have one common opponent – Turkey. If you really feel sorry for Artsakh, you should have a correct idea of the situation. We live here with our children. It is inadmissible to be anti-Russian. If a person loves Artsakh, they cannot be anti-Russian, anti-American, anti-French, etc.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
