David Babayan, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh, about the proposal of Vardan Oskanian, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, pressure from Russia, and the statement of the US Ambassador to Armenia
– The former Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vardan Oskanian, made a remarkable statement the other day, saying that if the resolution of the Artsakh issue is entrusted to him, along with a group of diplomats, and if Nikol Pashinyan stays silent for three months, it will be possible to make a breakthrough in the negotiation process, to turn the situation in favor of the Armenian parties. The proposal was not taken unequivocally. Even in the Armenian opposition circles, assessments were made that there was more romanticism in Mr. Oskanian’s proposal than in the actual calculation. In your opinion, was Vardan Oskanian’s bid realistic or romantic?
– Any established and normal country should pay special attention to professionals, mainly indeed “grown” personnel professionals. In our case, it is essential to create a group of experts dealing with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and the question is not who should lead it. That personnel potential should be used in any country, especially in small countries like ours, where training high-level diplomats and other professionals take time. It is not right to remove and throw out the professionals; therefore, if we take it as a theoretical approach, this proposal can be taken as a basis and such a structure can be created, be it expert or under another name. There are many structures whose work is not visible so that an operating system can be created, but in what form it will be is another question because many things can be developed in theory, but they may not work in practice.
– And if Nikol Pashinyan stays silent for several months and the responsibility of the negotiation process is placed on a group of professionals, do you believe it will be possible to make a breakthrough?
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– See what the problem is; personalities aside, if there’s a power pyramid that’s formed and if some people think that people in power can’t lead, that has to change, say, through elections or some other way. That’s why the mechanism of work is another matter, politics is a bit of a practical phenomenon, but in established countries, personnel are also used, which we have not yet achieved.
– Russian MFA Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, commenting on Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan’s statement that three settlements of Artsakh, Sus, Aghavno, and Berdzor, were handed over to Azerbaijan under pressure from the Russian side, thus changing traffic in the Lachin Corridor, said that the change in traffic through the Lachin Corridor took place had after the agreement in the tripartite format, as envisaged by the announcement of November 9, 2020. When Berdzor, Sus, and Aghavno surrendered to Azerbaijan, you were still the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh. Were you a participant in those processes? What pressure was exerted by Russia in return for what, in the end, was done?
-Azerbaijan put a lot of pressure on Artsakh in those days; the Turkish Special Forces were there in large numbers, and they could attack Artsakh and take those settlements. After that, there could be a lot of bloodshed. That is another problem. Therefore, to avoid delving deeper and start speculating, the main culprit is Azerbaijan, which resorted to such steps in seconds while building its section of the road. The problem now is that it is much more critical that traffic is restored and that the Berdzor Corridor, according to that ill-fated agreement, begins to function as it should, at least according to the terms of that agreement, we have serious work to do here.
– Can I conclude from your statement that the Russian side still pressures the Armenian side to settle the situation?
– Do not make any conclusions. Pass on what I have said too.
– Araik Harutyunyan also appealed to the President of Russia. What was the consequence of the application? What was the reason for the application to the President of Russia?
According to the 2020 November 9 statement, Russia is also considered a guarantor. And the response was that the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that Russia would do everything, negotiate, and call on Azerbaijan to restore free traffic through the Berdzor Corridor. Let’s see. Such a letter is not the first; it will not be the last either. We are in a complicated and fortunate phase and must use all resources. Russia is a country that has a significant influence, and it also has a commitment within the framework of the 2020 joint statement, so I think that appropriate steps should be taken to correct the situation because it is not written in the joint statement that the Berdzor Corridor should be an Azerbaijani checkpoint. Free traffic must be restored, and the processes can develop completely differently.
– Do we have expectations from the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in this regard, or do we consider the group to be inefficient?
– The group’s work is frozen; maybe it will be restored and not excluded in the future. Right after the statement made by the US Ambassador to Armenia… it received a terrible response in Artsakh, and in general, it was a shameful statement. The country called the bastion of democracy is, in fact, another democratic country, and it does not matter whether it is recognized or not; it pushes into totalitarian Azerbaijan. It is truly a disgrace and a severe blow to world democracy, US democracy, the Armenian community in the US, its contribution, and its devoted service to the US state; it is a blow to the congress members, to the US states that have recognized the independence of Artsakh. That is, from all angles, it is an evil and wrong act. Therefore, we must make severe analyses and profound conclusions and conduct appropriate work.
Interview by Nelly GRIGORYAN
“Aravot” daily newspaper, 07.07.2023
