“Is there an unspoken agreement to leave us alone with Baku?” - President of the unrecognized NKR
Interview with Arayik Harutyunyan
“We have the impression that there is an unspoken agreement to leave us alone with Baku so that Azerbaijan uses the method of pressure. This is no longer pressure, we are on the verge of genocide,” the president of the unrecognized NKR said, speaking of a dialogue with Baku.
Harutyunyan does not consider the relations that are now being built to be dialogue. He says that the Azerbaijani authorities “insist that we accept demands that are unacceptable.” He confirmed the information that on August 1, with the mediation of Western partners, a meeting of NK Armenians with Azerbaijanis was planned. He stressed that “the Azerbaijani side refused to participate.”
In an interview on local public television, Harutyunyan talked about the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, which arose as a result of the blockade of the Lachin corridor, and Azerbaijan’s proposal to deliver humanitarian supplies through its territory, that is, along the Agdam route. He also touched upon the arrest of Vagif Khachatryan, a patient transported by the Red Cross to Armenia for treatment.
The main message of the interview was the idea that the Armenians of the unrecognized republic, like its leadership, do not intend to give up self-determination and will continue to fight for independence.
“You can’t consider any meeting a dialogue”
This is how Harutyunyan commented on the possibility of dialogue with Baku.
“Any dialogue should fit, first of all, into the framework of equality, dignity and rights. All three of these principles are being violated,” he said.
Referring to previous meetings held with representatives of Azerbaijan through the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, he noted that “there was a dialogue, and there was a result.”
“But starting from December 12 [from this day in 2022 the Lachin corridor was blocked] Azerbaijan changed its position, changed direct dialogue and conversations in an atmosphere of respect to pressure.”
“NK is a big concentration camp where Azerbaijan is carrying out genocide”
Harutyunyan said that this is how Azerbaijan’s actions can be characterized. According to him, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh has long passed the line of a humanitarian catastrophe:
“We are witnesses of the policy of genocide committed by Azerbaijan. It is no coincidence that a few days ago I turned to the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, with a request for an expert opinion. Now we already have a preliminary conclusion that a genocide is being committed.”
“The result of the international community’s calls for a blockade is zero”
Talking about the consequences of the blockade, which began 8 months ago, he said that it is especially hard for pregnant women, children and people with chronic diseases. Due to malnutrition, constant stress and lack of “life-saving drugs”, they are even more vulnerable:
“There is an increase in mortality from various chronic diseases. For example, the number of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system almost doubled in the first half of the year.”
Harutyunyan regarded the calls of the international community to unblock NK as ineffective:
“It seems that the problem was discussed everywhere, it was said that Azerbaijan is creating a humanitarian catastrophe and is pursuing a policy of genocide. It seems that everywhere everyone notices that the situation is getting worse day by day, but there are no results.”
He also stated that the Russian peacekeepers are not fulfilling their functions and obligations to control the territory of the Lachin corridor:
“I sent a lot of letters, requests, appeals to the leadership of Russia, the president, but we have what we have. This is a consequence of the Russian-Ukrainian war.”
“Azerbaijan is holding NK Armenians hostage in order to get privileges on the road through the territory of Armenia”
According to Harutyunyan, Baku is trying to force the NK Armenians to give up the rights enshrined in the November 2020 statement and enter into dialogue on their own terms, which is a “continuation of the war.”
He believes that one of the goals of the Azerbaijani policy towards Nagorno-Karabakh is pressure on Armenia and recalls the statements of the Azerbaijani President that the so-called “Zangezur corridor” through the territory of Armenia should work in the logic of the Lachin corridor. We are talking about the road that will connect Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan, and the demand from Armenia to give up sovereign control in this territory:
“Azerbaijan continues the pressure to extract the maximum. We have to state that Azerbaijan intends to hold the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in the status of hostages and, in parallel, commit genocide, putting pressure on Armenia in order to obtain privileges on the road that will pass through its territory.”
Why are the Armenians against the transportation of goods through Aghdam?
Recently, Baku periodically offers to transport goods to NK through Aghdam, that is, through its territory. The President of the unrecognized republic, in response, recalls that the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is the result of Azerbaijan’s policy:
“That’s why we say that we ended up in a concentration camp. First, they turn the territory into a camp, then they start issuing what they consider necessary, and as much as they consider necessary.”
Harutyunyan again rejected Azerbaijan’s proposal, stressing that it is not only “disrespectful to the residents of NK”, but also does not comply with international humanitarian standards.
“The life of any citizen of NK is under threat”
“The fate of Vagif Khachatryan, who was kidnapped a few days ago, is very important. Azerbaijan’s behavior towards him will be an indicator of how they intend to behave towards everyone else in the future. The same accusation can be brought against any citizen of Artsakh.”
The authorities of the unrecognized republic, like the daughters of Vagif Khachatryan, claim that he had nothing to do with military operations, but Baku considers him “a criminal who committed genocide.” Harutyunyan said that, according to information received from Russian peacekeepers and the Red Cross, the health of 68-year-old Khachatryan, who needs heart surgery, “seems to be under control.”
“No one has the right to limit our right to self-determination”
This was stated by Harutyunyan, calling on the Armenian authorities to be “very careful” in matters related to Nagorno-Karabakh:
“As for the right to self-determination, the people of Artsakh have an exclusive right, which was not granted to them by the authorities. He expressed his readiness to fight for this right, and he is supported by the entire Armenian people.”
He urged Yerevan to refrain from steps and statements that could call into question the principle of self-determination.
Harutyunyan assured that he and his team will lead the fight for self-determination:
“Deprivations are temporary and transitory. Of course, there are consequences, but I do not want these minor consequences to come to the fore and subordinate our main goal. Therefore, [we will fight] for the sake of the salvation of Artsakh, for the sake of the future of Artsakh.”
He intends to appeal to the international community with a call to urgently discuss the situation in the UN Security Council, he also expects pressure on Azerbaijan from major actors:
“We have not yet lost hope in terms of influencing the situation on the part of international partners, therefore, at this stage, our struggle will continue on these platforms. We expect to achieve some success.”
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Interview with Arayik Harutyunyan
