Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, announced in the parliament on April 13, that the international community demands that Armenia lowers the bar of Artsakh’s status. We asked Edmon Marukyan, ambassador-at-large, how he perceives the statement? Does it mean that Artsakh should be part of Azerbaijan?
Edmon Marukyan replied, “That doesn’t mean anything as we don’t have a document yet that we and our people will accept, we don’t have any right to say that. It has become a propaganda trick – if you say that, means you are letting Artsakh be a part of Azerbaijan. Some people want to see Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan and they say it. It is about the following: before the last war, the Armenian side publicly said that we are going for the recognition of Artsakh. There is no document in the negotiations that is anything about the independence. That is to say, one thing was said publicly, and the other thing was negotiated. Now he says the international community tells us that if we change our maximalist approach, we will get consolidation.”
Edmon Marukyan explained what is the maximalist approach, “If you are negotiating and saying that if you don’t recognize the independence of Artsakh, we don’t have anything to talk about, the war will start the very next minute. That is incomprehensible to the international community today. But when you negotiate and go from rights to status, let them say what rights are in question and what security status they give. If you present to them your maximalist program, they will say alright, brother, good luck, goodbye, talk to you soon. And then the war starts and there is nothing to talk about. Is it possible to reconsider the whole negotiation process now? It’s a different world today, it was a different world back then. But even then, when it was easier for countries to get recognition and become the UN member, to set up their seat in the UN but even then, it didn’t work out. This should not be a cause for talking that it means that they see Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan.”
To the question, who is the international community, which countries demand to lower the bar in the Artsakh issue, Marukyan answered that firstly the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, and then members of the EU. “The whole civilized world. Is there any country that has recognized the Republic of Artsakh, and we rejected it?”
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According to Marukyan, in the past when we applauded the statements of other countries, the term “status” in those statements didn’t mean independence, otherwise, they would recognize Artsakh, and give a seat in the UN. “There may have been a stage when we lived in illusions. Now, these illusions have turned into a disaster for us. Now we need to assess the situation realistically and move forward. If Armenia continues living in illusions, then new disasters will come, which is unacceptable.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
