The opposition movement 'undermines the sovereignty of the country' - Armenian foreign minister
Armenian FM on the protesters demands
“By undermining the Alma-Ata Declaration and the peace process based on it, these individuals continue to erode the sovereignty, statehood, and territorial integrity of Armenia. In the best interpretation, they do this unwittingly, failing to grasp the consequences; in the worst interpretation, under direct dictates from another country,” assessed Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ararat Mirzoyan, regarding the actions of former diplomats who developed a plan for further actions for the protest movement “Tavush for the Sake of the Homeland.”
During a recent rally of the opposition movement, diplomats presented the document they had drafted. Its main thesis is that the authorities’ recognition of the Alma-Ata Declaration as the basis for delimiting and demarcating the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is “unlawful and punishable by law.”
The former diplomats were tasked with developing subsequent steps by the movement’s leader, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. It began with demands to halt the border demarcation process, but now its participants are primarily demanding the resignation of Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan.
Since early morning on May 13th, acts of disobedience have continued in Yerevan. Over 150 participants of the protest actions were detained on the streets of the capital. At the time of publication, they had all been released.
The “Tavush for the Motherland” movement began a protest march from the bordering Tavush region to Yerevan on May 4th. Participants reached the capital by May 9th. On that day, the movement’s leader announced that the preliminary goal – to stop the “unlawful demarcation” on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border – had changed. Their demand now is the resignation of the prime minister. Pashinyan was given an hour to resign, but there was no immediate response to this statement.
Since then, movement participants have been conducting acts of disobedience, marches, and rallies. Simultaneously, consultations are being held with opposition parliamentary factions regarding the impeachment procedure for the prime minister. If they manage to gather enough signatures to initiate the process in parliament, the opposition will have to announce the name of their candidate for this position. However, they cannot reach an agreement on this issue.
To initiate the impeachment procedure, signatures of no less than 36 deputies are required. The opposition factions “I Have Honor” (29 deputies) and “Homeland” (six deputies) lack one signature. Moreover, even if the issue is on the agenda, at least 54 votes will be needed to adopt the desired decision. Local experts consider this scenario unlikely.
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“Completely paralyze the city”
Yesterday evening, the leader of the movement, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, called for “completely paralyzing the city.” He promised that strikes would take place.
Protesters began blocking the streets of the capital early in the morning. However, the police unblocked them and detained participants of the protest. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that those detained were individuals who did not comply with the lawful demands of the police officers.
The movement leader, along with a group of supporters, met with the leadership and members of the Writers’ Union and the Artists’ Union. It is reported that the archbishop intends to visit other creative unions as well.
Bagrat Galstanyan is confident that their demand for the resignation of the prime minister is entirely feasible:
“This is the will of the people, their demand. No hiding, games, twists, or delusions. It should be clear to everyone in Armenia that the head of this government is no longer acceptable. And we will do everything to demonstrate this.”
Regarding the process of delimitation and demarcation, according to the movement leader, it should occur after the conclusion of a peace agreement and with the involvement of guarantors.
Armenian FM on the protesters demands
Details of the former diplomats’ proposal
As part of the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement, an All-Armenian Council of Diplomats has been established. It comprises about thirty former employees of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. At the behest of the movement’s leader, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the council developed and presented a document at the latest rally outlining the potential developments concerning border delimitation/demarcation and the peace agenda, the threats that may arise, and the necessary steps to take.
The document was presented by council member and former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vahagn Melikyan. He emphasized that the document proposes to halt delimitation and demarcation because the process is based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, which “does not contain a description of borders.” It only speaks of mutual recognition of borders by former Soviet republics. According to the declaration, the administrative borders at the time of the USSR’s dissolution become the borders of the countries within the CIS.
“The legal basis for the delimitation process should be a jointly agreed methodology based on existing and legally binding intrastate acts of the USSR. The Alma-Ata Declaration cannot serve as a basis in any way, as it does not contain a description of borders. The declaration only implies a renunciation of territorial claims against each other,” council members believe.
To initiate the process of delimitation and demarcation, it is necessary, first and foremost, to have an interstate agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which will be ratified by the parliaments of both countries, Vahagn Melikyan emphasized:
“If during this process a situation arises where any territory of Armenia may go to Azerbaijan, then the issue must be put to a referendum. Therefore, the conclusion is clear: the ongoing process is illegal and unconstitutional.”
“They abandoned the trench entrusted to them”
Responding to journalists’ questions about the actions of former employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said:
“The experienced diplomats you mentioned are apparently the deserters who abandoned their positions, the trench entrusted to them, precisely in those days when there was military aggression [from the Azerbaijani Armed Forces] against the sovereign territory of Armenia.”
After that, he cannot take these people and their positions seriously. The minister reiterated several times that they are trying to “undermine” Armenia’s territorial integrity. He did not rule out that they are acting under the instructions of another country. Mirzoyan did not specify which country he had in mind.
Regarding the role of former Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian in drafting the document, Vahagn Aleksanyan, a deputy from the ruling faction, stated:
“I don’t think Vardan Oskanian can offer anything new to Armenian diplomacy.”
Armenian FM on the protesters demands
