Aravot’s interlocutor is RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, former Artsakh Foreign Minister Arman Melikyan
– Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan mentioned in a tweet about the upcoming peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, assuring that there will be no new escalation. In contrast, two days ago, an Armenian soldier was killed by enemy fire, and the road to Lachin has been closed for 104 days. In this situation, isn’t sign a peace agreement contain more dangers than security guarantees?
– The statements made by Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev in recent days contradict each other to such an extent that if we believe the confidence of the Prime Minister of Armenia regarding the signing of the agreement, we will have to think that either official Yerevan is going to meet all the demands of Baku, or Ilham Aliyev will not sign the document from Azerbaijan, a new person will come to power there. I wouldn’t rule out these options in the current situation, although other scenarios could play out.
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– How to interpret the statements of the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, that the reaction is not necessarily public on the occasion of the injury of Russian service members? What prevents official Moscow from publicly accusing Azerbaijan?
– This is not the first such case. Official Moscow showed a high degree of restraint in connection with, for example, the murder of the Russian ambassador to Turkey and the shooting down of a Russian military helicopter by Nakhichevan. Therefore, let’s perceive this behavior as a unique pattern without delving into the reasons.
– What messages did Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov send to the Armenian authorities? What did he mean by using the term Karabakh- people in his vocabulary? Is there any new process?
– Mr. Lavrov had one central message, to convey to all interested actors the idea that the exclusive involvement of Moscow would determine the fate of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.
– The U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that he believes that Azerbaijan and Armenia can soon sign a peace treaty. Talking about the problems the agreement can solve, he mentioned “the rights and protection of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh” and “demarcation of the border,” still; there was no mention of the status of Artsakh, the right to self-determination. How will you interpret it?
– The resolution voiced by the Secretary of State Blinken should be taken seriously, and its risks and advantages should be carefully considered. At the same time, we must also clearly realize that our region will remain a zone of radical changes for several years, a hotbed of conflict. In other words, the time for stabilization has not yet come.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
“Aravot” daily, 25.03.2023
