During the live program organized by former Minister of State of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan on the Re: public of Artsakh Telegram channel, a question was raised about whether Aghdam can be considered as an alternative route after the position expressed by the Russian Federation at the last session of the UN Security Council, and to what extent is the mission of the Russian peacekeeping troops effective, especially since people have just complaints about their activities.
According to the November 2020 agreement, the Lachine Corridor was supposed to remain under Russian peacekeepers’ control while it is under siege. It is a humanitarian disaster in Artsakh. Ruben Vardanyan answered: “Let’s divide the question into three parts; I will answer your question slightly longer to be understandable. There are three problems with Russian peacekeepers in the Caucasus region. The first and most challenging problem is that when a document was signed on November 9, 2020, new additions, changes, and instructions appeared over time.
Unfortunately, to the misfortune of us and no one else, when that document was signed on November 9, a working group was created, which had to present all the points separately because there were different things and there was no room for further interpretation. Especially when one of the parties has an advantage; he can interpret the document in any way. And in that sense, it was a significant omission on our part because we could not do our homework properly. After all, we could not present a package of documents where individual points of the agreement would be presented in all detail.
The second point regarding peacekeepers, unfortunately, we do not have a good idea of how weak the function of peacekeepers is in it. Many of you have probably seen how a bulldozer crushed a car of peacekeepers in Northern Cyprus. In that sense, the peacekeepers, whose number and functions are minimal, are more deterrent than those that indicate specific actions. If one of the parties does not want to fulfill its responsibilities, we have everywhere, including in Africa; it does not matter whether they are international peacekeepers or what kind of peacekeepers they are; if one of the parties does not want to fulfill its responsibilities, we will not achieve the desired result. We have seen it in many places, Russian or French; their functions are limited,” said Ruben Vardanyan. According to him, there are objections and complaints about Russia as a guarantor of the security of Armenia and Artsakh as a partner and protector.
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“Armenian society, as always, is divided into pro-Russian and anti-Russian. It is a primitive and incorrect approach; no one owes anyone anything. In this cynical world, no one owes anyone anything. We witnessed how France and England handed over the Czechia to Germany in 1938, and we have witnessed very similar cases when the Americans withdrew from Afghanistan. Armenians have such an attitude that everyone owes us, and we are important to everyone; we are needed. That is our problem; nobody owes us anything. For us to be important and to be taken into account, we must be influential, to have normal allies, we must be powerful and be relied upon.”
According to the speaker, relations with the West should also be adjusted; we should work with Russia and the West, but not because we are Christians and need to be saved. Still, we should show our strength and power, show that we are fit. “In that sense, Artsakh is in the 140th place for Russia; it is not in the first or second place, or it is in the 20th or 140th. Russia is a superpower; it has its problems. I understand that the Russian leadership deals with the Artsakh issue to the extent that benefits them. And we must act so that Russia’s position does not harm us; you must act in different directions and correctly arrange your relations with different countries.
According to Ruben Vardanyan, during our ancient history, we never understood that no one is obliged to do anything for us in this world. “One must be skilled and work in several directions simultaneously, based on one’s interests, not those of strangers. But taking into account the interests of others, it is a great political art; we are not very strong in that matter; there are areas where we are stronger.”
Regarding whether Azerbaijan is more attractive and necessary for Russia than Armenia in economic and political terms, Russia confirms this with its position. In this way, Russia excludes the solution of the issue based on the self-determination of the people of Artsakh; the only solution, according to Russia, is the integration of the Armenian population as a part of Azerbaijan. Ruben Vardanyan disagreed. “People should not think this issue will be resolved in one or two months. I strongly oppose the use of the word integration. I want to be correct; the Armenian population can never be part of Azerbaijan; the whole question is how to regulate relations with the neighboring country. It is very heavy. How does Azerbaijan imagine the service of soldiers with Armenian roots in the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan? It is tough for me to imagine. Everyone understands this very well, although they show that they don’t understand. Firstly, it is impossible.
Secondly, Armenia has a fantastic advantage.” Ruben Vardanyan mentioned that being scattered worldwide, we can now represent much more importance for the international community, having professionalism, high intellectual potential, and technological abilities, which have been put into use in many countries. “We can be a buffer country for the West and Russia, like Finland was for the Soviet Union and Europe. We do not have gas and oil like Azerbaijan, but Azerbaijan’s gas is 10 percent of Europe’s gas.
Azerbaijan has many problems. I don’t want to go into too much detail now, but the average Azerbaijani lives much worse than the average Armenian; of course, the propaganda does not present those numbers, but there, in the villages, they are poorer, and there is a problem of illiteracy. Armenia is like a boxer who has lost but is now determined to win the next fight and is afraid of new blows; it is essential to overcome the internal situation. You don’t have to give up because nothing is finished yet. I can’t imagine, no matter how hard we are, Azerbaijan talking about Western Azerbaijan, Sevan all that is so frivolous; the propagandists are doing it to put pressure on us Armenians.
It is not severe, and more players will be involved in that process. The most important thing is the spirit, readiness, will, and willingness to take risks. We are small, but we can cut your throat or cause so many problems that you don’t think it’s small.
Most importantly, one of the parties should not strive for the maximum demand for everything. That is not true; there will be peace only when the two strong sides are convinced to reach an agreement to achieve peace. It was between England and France, France and Germany, and not only in Europe but also in other countries. One side can’t get everything; we must understand that a lot depends on us and rely on ourselves.
Being ready to take a hit doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared to hit yourself, so the crowd attacking you will be afraid or think ahead that he will get into problems.
Nune AREVSHATYAN
