“Russia will not appeal to the UN regarding peacekeepers” - Armenian political scientist
Discussion of Russian peacekeepers in UN
“Moscow will not appeal to the UN on the issue of sending multinational peacekeeping forces to Nagorno-Karabakh, and the West will not give a mandate to Russian peacekeepers,” political analyst Saro Saroyan says on the latest statement by the Armenian Prime Minister. He believes that a new peacekeeping mission is needed to ensure the security of NK Armenians. And for this, in his opinion, Armenia itself must begin the process of discussing this issue in the UN.
Pashinyan: “Russia should initiate a discussion in the UN Security Council”
Yesterday, Pashinyan talked about the responsibility of the Russian peacekeeper contingent in NK of ensuring unhindered movement along the Lachin corridor. Pashinyan, in fact, accused them of inaction, and not for the first time pointed out that Russia was not fulfilling its obligations. He stated that Moscow should assess the situation and announce a plan to unblock the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.
“If Russia is unable, for any reason, to ensure stability and security in Nagorno-Karabakh, it should initiate a discussion in the UN Security Council, raise the issue of giving the peacekeeping forces a mandate from the Security Council or sending an additional multinational contingent of peacekeeping forces to Nagorno-Karabakh,” Nikol Pashinyan said.
He said that Armenia is a “staunch supporter” of the presence of Russian peacekeeping troops in Nagorno-Karabakh, but immediately added that he considers “the position of the peacekeeping contingent to be silent witnesses to the expulsion of Armenians from NK” unacceptable.
Moscow’s reaction: “Azerbaijan’s consent is also needed”
After Pashinyan’s speech, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh that this requires the consent of both sides in the conflict, not only Armenia, but also Azerbaijan.
“Armenia is one of our closest allies, Azerbaijan is our valuable partner. And the Russian Federation continues and will continue its mediation efforts, fulfilling, first of all, the agreements that were reached on a trilateral basis,” he said.
Moreover, Moscow has declared criticism of Russian peacekeepers to be unacceptable, as stated by the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova. According to the latter, “public attacks do not help the cause,” and the peacekeepers “are doing everything possible to resolve the situation on the ground.”
A comment
According to political scientist Saro Saroyan, Pashinyan’s statements prove that the Armenian government has begun to assess the situation correctly. He believes that the Armenian authorities are trying to “demonstrate adherence to principles,” and that speaking openly about Russia’s responsibility and unfulfilled obligations is already a big step forward — but one should not stop there.
In his opinion, according to the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, Russia is responsible for the security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, but Armenia also has obligations.
“Armenia is responsible because it is the guarantor of the security of Artsakh, and this is enshrined in all our legal documents, including the constitution,” Saroyan said.
He believes that Russia will not apply to the UN Security Council on the issue of granting a mandate to its peacekeepers, because “it understands perfectly well that the West will not grant this mandate.” He believes that Moscow will not raise the issue of sending a multinational peacekeeping force to Nagorno-Karabakh:
“With Russian mediation, this simply cannot happen.”
He considers it necessary to deploy another peacekeeping contingent in NK to ensure the security of the Armenians. But, in his opinion, Armenia should be involved in promoting this issue, and “Armenia itself should start the process”:
“We must not stop rejoicing that the Russian Federation is being brought into the field of responsibility. The solution to the problem is connected with Armenia as a political unit demonstrating a strong-willed position and making a sovereign decision. When it shows these qualities or not, that’s the problem.
According to Saroyan, instead of “a search for new owners”, the Armenian authorities should build a clear strategy for the formation of the state, understand where they are going and what the role of the country in the region is. He says that it is possible to get out of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh if Armenia pursues a “different policy” with various powers and can emphasize the value of NK, which is “an important component of the security of the South Caucasus.”
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Discussion of Russian peacekeepers in UN
