According to RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh Arman Melikyan, mutual trust in the field of bilateral relations between Armenia and Russia is decreasing, which may also lead to unpleasant or painful consequences, especially for us in terms of military and economic interests, and for Russia in the realm of political interests.
– What to expect from the decision of the International Court of Justice of the United Nations because it is clear that this decision will not be immediately followed by Azerbaijan’s unblocking of the Lachin Corridor. However, there is such an apparent demand for the decision.
– From a chronological point of view, the Court’s decision coincided with the dismissal of Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan. Therefore, if the unblocking of the humanitarian corridor connecting Artsakh to Armenia and the restoration of the free movement of people become a reality, it will not be possible to unequivocally claim that it is the result of the Court’s decision and not of meeting the demand for Vardanyan’s removal submitted by Aliyev to the Artsakh authorities. As long as there are no explicit guarantees for the uninterrupted operation of the humanitarian corridor, the blockade may be repeated.
– How would you assess the developments taking place in Artsakh, particularly in the context of dismissing Ruben Vardanyan from the post of state minister? Is Araik Harutyunyan’s thesis of “meeting Azerbaijan’s demands” realistic, or are other, more shadowy processes occurring?
Read also
– I am inclined to the opinion that the dismissal of Mr. Vardanyan was connected with several factors, and Ilham Aliyev’s demand was one of those factors. Our compatriots from Artsakh are in a challenging situation today.
They will be obliged to protect their lives and the right to live freely in their native land with all available means, regardless of who currently holds what position in Artsakh.
– Armenian SC Secretary Armen Grigoryan stated that the CSTO does not recognize Armenia’s borders. This is a serious problem because if there are no borders, there are no responsibility areas. How would you rate this statement? What are the dangers of the escalation of Armenian-Russian relations, the comments made by the Russian Federation to the EU observation mission?
– This is evidence that official Yerevan’s ideas regarding the contractual and alliance obligations of Russia and the CSTO do not coincide with the approaches of the latter, which, in turn, has also caused public complaints, reprimands, and accusations. Mutual trust in Armenia-Russia bilateral relations is decreasing, which can also lead to unpleasant or painful consequences, especially in the field of military and economic interests for us and Russia in the area of political interests.
TATEV HARUTYUNYAN
“Aravot” daily, 25.02.2023
