The interlocutor of “Aravot” is the French-Armenian public figure Hilda Choboyan.
– Mrs. Choboyan, on August 30, France tried to transport humanitarian goods to Artsakh, but it was unsuccessful. From the beginning, it was clear that Baku would not allow cargo to enter Artsakh; therefore, what was the purpose of this French initiative? What was this message?
– First, it is incorrect to say that France authorizes this initiative. French local self-government bodies initiated it, that is, municipalities and regions. I often hear that France came up with this initiative. Still, in reality, the local governments, which are the links between individuals and the state, are the authors of this initiative. If we understand the goal correctly, it is to cover the problem of the blockade of Artsakh, humanitarian and human rights, and to keep it in the view of the international press. The bodies organizing this initiative didn’t hope that the road would be opened for them. Everyone knew that the road was closed and should remain closed, but this was a way of putting pressure on Azerbaijan, which did not give direct results so far. But it should be noted that this pressure was exerted on Azerbaijan because Aliyev admitted there was a lot of pressure on him. And this was one part of the pressure.
– What developments can happen in the future? Will France toughen its position?
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– The French State, Government, and President want to resolve this issue diplomatically. This initiative was the initiative of democratic France; that is, all these people who accompanied the trucks are elected by the people, not the Government.
Therefore, there is a step to reach the administration of the state from this circle and the parliamentary circle, which still needs to be done. Even if we are sure that France is the only country that openly expresses itself and expresses correct positions about the processes taking place against the people of Artsakh, France tries to take balanced steps to some extent. At the same time, given the right qualifications, it wants to take flat steps so that it can find solutions through diplomatic means.
However, the self-determination of Artsakh is no longer discussed during the activity, and this is a direct consequence of the announcements of the Armenian authorities on recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan in recent months. The French authorities no longer talk about the collective rights of Artsakh; they talk about the people’s human rights but not political rights. This is the policy of the Armenian authorities, and we saw this very clearly at the session of the UN Security Council when the representatives of Armenia did not raise the issue of Artsakh as a political issue. They didn’t even talk about a political solution to get out of the humanitarian crisis; they only spoke about opening the way.
– French President Macron announced that he would negotiate with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and develop a new diplomatic initiative to settle the Karabakh conflict. What initiative is the French Government taking, and what will it change in the current situation?
– I cannot say clearly; I notice that Aliyev is never ready for diplomatic solutions. Aliyev wants to take over the regions of Armenia and Artsakh completely. And this diplomatic activity does not work with Aliyev. Macron wants to play a role in solving that problem because there is a factor of the Armenian community in France. But I don’t have high hopes for this initiative. We even have to see how far Macron’s initiative to turn to the UN Security Council with a proposal to vote a resolution will reach. All those who hoped that France would take a much more serious step towards Azerbaijan today see that when the representatives of the French local Government arrive in Kornidzor, at the same time, the president of one of the big French companies had a meeting with Aliyev. Therefore, very careful conclusions should be made.
– What opportunity and solution do you see in today’s situation?
– I don’t see a solution to this issue in the short term. The state vision of Armenia, the structure of the state, needs a complete revision. The self-defense system should be fundamentally revised because this country cannot defend itself this way. In the case of Armenia, imagining that people here should live carefree, like in Switzerland or other countries, is not so. Armenia’s surroundings will not allow us to live peacefully; therefore, considerable work must be done, but it will require a long effort. And we have already lost a lot of time.
Rosa HOVHANNISYAN
“Aravot” daily, 02.09.2023
