Political scientist Gurgen Simonyan said, “The Russian side once again deceived the people who came to power in Artsakh.”
– Mr. Simonyan, the Russian truck, entered Artsakh via Akna road, and it was announced that the Berdzor corridor will be opened shortly. But we see that the corridor needs to open; what processes are taking place?
– The Armenian side, the people who came to power in Artsakh, were once again deceived by the Russian side. They were probably promised that if the Akna-Stepanakert section of the road is opened, it will be immediately followed by the unblocking of the Berdzor-Stepanakert road. But we saw that it did not happen. I have said in my public speeches that I expect the administration in Artsakh to give an equal assessment that the agreements were not implemented and blame all the parties that violated the agreements. If he didn’t do it, then it would turn out that there was no agreement at all, and it was a voluntary and independent initiative by those persons, which was a blow from behind to the Armenian side. It should be noted that a decision was made against the military-political, national interests, and issues related to the national security of the Armenians of the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia.
– What precedent does the entry of the Russian truck into Artsakh via Akna create?
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– It can be considered the beginning of the so-called reintegration policy of Artsakh, which is taking place by mutual arrangement and agreement between Russia and Azerbaijan. And in this regard, we must note that this can be a dangerous precedent for similar actions. In other words, an Armenian genocide will take place, which they are trying to carry out. Everything should be done so that this does not become possible; moreover, during the hearings of the US Senate, it was clearly fixed, and the Russian Federation was considered an accomplice state. In this regard, the United States and the civilized world did not take the bait that there is no humanitarian disaster that goods have entered Artsakh. At the same time, along with the unblocking of other infrastructures, they demand the unblocking of the Berdzor corridor, which is a route with a legal status.
– The civilized world once also talked about the status of Artsakh; is that issue closed today?
– The rights of Artsakh are directly parallel to the right of self-determination. It’s just that nobody imagines the right to self-determination beyond the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. It can also be in their territorial integrity, but with all the components of autonomy: the state-legal system, the administrative system, the approach of having their authorities, the logic of their schools, etc. That is the approach, but it is impossible, and the world will understand over time that it is difficult to achieve this within Azerbaijan because Azerbaijan is a recognized dictatorship. That country does not even respect the rights of its citizens, let alone the rights of the Armenian population. And they will realize that the only way out for self-determination will be independence or reunification with Mother Armenia.
– Nikol Pashinyan announced that he recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including Artsakh. And he justified it by the fact that he wanted to keep the sovereignty of Armenia. But we see that every minute, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia is threatened; Baku has been accumulating troops and weapons along the line of contact with the Republic of Armenia in recent days. What does Azerbaijan want, and what new concessions is it trying to get?
– That statement of the government can also be one of the steps towards the independence of Artsakh, which I do not welcome. Nobody can hand over Artsakh if the people do not allow it. Azerbaijan wants the independence of the Republic of Armenia and intends to destroy the Republic of Armenia, acting in tandem with Russia. Here, it is not only the issue of Artsakh; they want to close the case of Armenia once and for all because if we preserve our sovereignty, all these illegalities, injustices, and violations of national dignity can be replayed over time. And Azerbaijanis understand it well.
Rosa HOVHANNISYAN
“Aravot” daily, 16.09.2023
