Speaking about Armenia’s expectations from the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace agenda, on March 22, expert on Azerbaijan Tatev Hayrapetyan said at the Media Center, “In fact, the government is slowly trying to convince the public that Artsakh can not be outside Azerbaijan, that it must be realistic, without presenting all the consequences. If we imagine Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan for even a second, it means Artsakh without the Armenian population. I think this is an indisputable truth.
Ararat Mirzoyan quoted the decision of the UN Court of Justice. The same court ruled that Azeri officials were campaigning against ethnic Armenians. To not understand the consequences, realize that the whole basis of this conflict is that hatred after Sumgait, after Baku, when the threat of annihilation affected all the Armenians of Artsakh? The whole struggle is to rule it out. Now to go and sign a document by which you should actually recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan means Artsakh without the Armenian population. This is where the issue of Syunik comes into play. And I assure you that no document will prevent Azerbaijan from further possible encroachments on the already recognized borders of the Republic of Armenia.
We see what is happening all over the world, like all kinds of conventions, everything is set aside. In fact, today the problems are solved in the language of force, the threat of force. And in that logic it is incomprehensible why the Armenian side, instead of properly preparing for the security challenges of rebuilding its own army, says: we take such steps so that we do not have casualties. But we have casualties. The whole team supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, not to mention the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh. Show me at least one Azerbaijani MP who has spoken about the rights of Artsakh Armenians at least once in history. Instead, our entire government team has been defending the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan from morning till night, re-establishing itself within the framework of the formerly absurd and extremely tiring discourse.”
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According to her, the thesis of powerlessness is spread in society in order to make people think that there is no way out, the signing of any capitulation agreement is the only hope. “I do see opportunities,” she said. “I would not say that there are many, but there are some. If we have the right talks with our Russian, Iranian, and Western partners, and are able to combine our interests within the framework of their security interests, I assure you that the situation has solutions. The right work will bring results. No work is being done,” she said. She sees a repetition of the famous trilateral statement signed on November 9 on the last point of the package of 5-point proposals presented to Armenia within the so-called peace agenda by Armenia. In other respects, she believes, Azerbaijan’s goal is the same – to finally close the Artsakh issue, to get the Armenian side to recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan.
“This is obvious. However, this is not the only closing of the Artsakh issue. In my opinion, it will have much bigger and more dangerous consequences for the sovereignty and statehood of Armenia. I note with regret that the relevant persons and state officials make such statements, perhaps unknowingly or pursuing other goals, which are really problematic from the point of view of Armenia’s state and security interests. As for the possible peace or further processes, the Azerbaijani side also speaks about peace. And it does so in parallel with the processes when it propagates hatred against ethnic Armenians at the state level when it carries out terrorist acts against both our compatriots living in the border regions and the population of Artsakh. The latest case of the same gas issue is a striking example of this. It seems that we are talking about gas supply, but Azerbaijan has made it a tool in its hands, constantly causing inconvenience to our compatriots living there, complicating their lives, trying to create a situation where they do not feel safe in terms of living safely in their homeland. Will the Armenian side sign or not? At least judging by their statements, which, as I mentioned, I consider problematic, the Armenian side intends to sign it. They say that they have submitted their proposals.”
The Azeri expert is confused. She sees contradictions in Ararat Mirzoyan’s words. “If they go without preconditions, then they go, each presenting their vision, their red lines, trying to understand whether there are any contact points. That is why they appealed to the Minsk Group, citing the Helsinki Final Act and the UN Charter. Moreover, yesterday during the discussion in the National Assembly, the Helsinki Final Act was stressed, where, by the way, there is the right of nations to self-determination. It is incomprehensible to me why the Armenian side refuses this provision and refuses to stipulate it clearly or present all the rights indiscriminately, without specifying what its main point of reference is. The right of nations to self-determination is one of the great achievements of diplomacy, along with territorial integrity and the non-use of force or the threat of force. One of these three principles, which was in the interests of Armenia, is now completely subordinated to the people who are going to carry out those negotiations.”
Ashot HAKOBYAN
