“The public in Artsakh lacked confidence in their leadership. And Ruben Vardanyan, being an outsider, raised hopes in that community, first of all in the sense of justice, that there can be a fair administration, which is very important for public mobilization, especially at this time. I emphasize that the most because it is perhaps the most important thing for the public in such a difficult situation,” said political scientist Stepan Danielyan in a conversation with Aravot.am.
On February 23, the President of Artsakh, Araik Harutyunyan, published the decree on the dismissal of Ruben Vardanyan from the position of the Minister of State. There are points of view that the subjectivity of Artsakh decreased with this decision. According to Stepan Danielyan, the subjectivity of Artsakh is not determined by Ruben Vardanyan’s stay but by the current course of government in Armenia. “They are doing everything to eliminate the burden of Artsakh and depopulation there. That is the main problem. The problem is neither in Artsakh nor in Baku. The main problem is in Yerevan, and this is the problem, not the resignation of Ruben Vardanyan.
And the role of Ruben Vardanyan was the hope he gave. I don’t know to what extent it was justified, to what extent it was not, but it gave hope that such a system could be formed there.” The President of Artsakh spoke about the red lines and the upcoming actions and said that Artsakh is ready to negotiate with Azerbaijan, but is Azerbaijan prepared to deal with Artsakh?
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According to Stepan Danielyan, Azerbaijan is not ready to talk with Armenia as an equal partner.
“He speaks dictatingly and coercively and regularly uses force. If this government of Armenia has brought it to the point that Azerbaijan does not speak with Armenia as an equal, how can it speak with Artsakh? But the problem is not in Armenia anymore; the problem is in the behavior of Iran and Russia because since Artsakh and Syunik are geopolitical issues and vital first of all for Yerevan and Russia, the Russian Federation is now making concessions to the situational dependence of Turkey and Azerbaijan but may behave differently in the future. That is why Azerbaijan wants to solve this issue. Iran is also important for them. Azerbaijan has crossed red lines concerning both of them and will not be forgiven. They know now is the best time to do something. This is the problem.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
