“The agreement regarding the corridor connecting Artsakh to Armenia is in the November 9 document. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on this with Russia. Another thing is whether Russia implements it badly or well. It should be the result of negotiations. I think there is no need for international observers on the issue of the Lachin Corridor,” Seyran Ohanyan, deputy of the “Armenia” faction, former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, said in a conversation with journalists in the National Assembly, referring to the statement of the RA Foreign Ministry that the dispatch of an international fact-finding team to the Lachin Corridor is necessary.
Seyran Ohanyan explained the approach: “We don’t need people who will come with pens and binoculars and observe. The Russian peacekeeping forces on the ground carry it out. On the other hand, it is necessary to raise the issue of Artsakh in the international arena, the conflict is not resolved, and the option of a solution should return to the domain of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.”
Toivo Klaar, European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus, wrote after the subversive attack in Azerbaijan that “the bloody incident that took place emphasizes the urgent need to promote negotiations.” Commenting on this claim, Seyran Ohanyan emphasized that the continuation of negotiations is necessary with the direct involvement of Artsakh. “But the fact that the units of the peacekeepers responded immediately is unequivocal.”
To the question: What grounds do we have to claim that what happened in Artsakh on March 5 will lead to a more significant escalation? Seyran Ohanyan answered: “Guarantees for safety should be created. Today’s government considers peace as a guarantee, while peace is a fundamental value for security. The national value of the security is our army.
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Moreover, in the case of Artsakh, we should present to the international community the necessity of the Artsakh Defense Army. It was formed at the initial stage of the conflict to ensure the security and self-defense of Artsakh. Even if today Azerbaijan is talking about transporting ammunition, how can one not use weapons and not defend oneself during the current provocations of that country? Therefore, the Defense Army is a necessity. There are Armenian forces in Artsakh, but not Armenian ones. That is important to the state. And the international guarantee is the negotiation process, diplomacy. There is no diplomacy, and the war begins. Until 2018, by complementing each other, the national and international mechanisms were able to advance the Artsakh issue, which we do not see today.”
Seyran Ohanyan added that combat operations on the borders of Artsakh and RA are possible at any time.
Luiza Sukiasyan
