“No power has the right to change the status of the NKR”: reaction to Pashinyan’s statement
Reaction to Pashinyan’s statement
“Any statement by Nikol Pashinyan that ignores the sovereignty of the Republic of Artsakh, the right of our people to self-determination and the fact of its implementation, and any document drawn up on its basis, is unacceptable and is not significant to us,” MPs responded to the statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia parliament of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
On May 22, during a press conference, the Prime Minister of Armenia stated: “The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is 86,600 sq. km includes Nagorno-Karabakh”. Pashinyan also said the issue is inseparable from the rights and security of NK Armenians, which should be discussed in the format of a direct dialogue with Baku. And for these negotiations, according to him, it is necessary to create international guarantees. The Prime Minister of Armenia also said that he “does not agree with the wording that we are abandoning Artsakh.”
Talking about the document that is being prepared for signing with Azerbaijan, he stressed that Armenia is determined to “complete negotiations as soon as possible and sign a peace agreement.”
Late in the evening, after Pashinyan’s press conference, MPs in NK convened an extraordinary meeting and adopted a statement saying that his position “caused fury and indignation in the Republic of Artsakh.” They called on the former and current presidents of Armenia and NK to condemn Pashinyan’s statements, or their silence will be regarded “as a sign of agreement with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.”
“Artsakh will never give up the steady path of its struggle”
So say local MPs. They emphasize that by his willingness and commitment to “include Artsakh in Azerbaijan”, the Prime Minister of Armenia grossly violates the relevant principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of Armenia:
“In particular, the imperative provision of the resolution of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia of July 8, 1992 that “any international or domestic document, in which the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will be indicated as part of Azerbaijan, is considered unacceptable for the Republic of Armenia.” We reaffirm that the status of Artsakh has already been determined by the will of the people on December 10, 1991, and no power has the right to change it.
Deeply concerned about the impending real danger, the deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh call on all Armenians to prevent the catastrophic steps of the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to cede to Azerbaijan part of the Armenian homeland – the Republic of Artsakh and the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia under the guise of enclaves, which will inevitably lead to the loss of Armenian statehood.”
Reaction to Pashinyan’s statement
“The position of the current Armenian authorities is unacceptable” – the reaction of the former presidents
Former NK presidents Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan responded to the call to make a condemnatory statement. They issued a joint statement in which they emphasized that “Artsakh has not accepted and will not accept the approaches” described by the Prime Minister of Armenia the day before, people “will fight for the right to live with dignity in their homeland by all possible methods”:
“The position of the current authorities of Armenia, based on the logic of unconditional submission to the will of Azerbaijan in matters crucial for the people of Artsakh, is unacceptable.”
Ex-President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan considered it unnecessary to expect a new statement from him:
“I have stated on all possible occasions that Artsakh will not be part of Azerbaijan for five years.”
Another former Armenian president, Robert Kocharyan, considered the appeal addressed to former presidents to be “inappropriate and insulting” in its own way.
He stressed that even with a strong desire, it was impossible not to see that in the past two years, the Armenian authorities “had openly surrendered Artsakh.”
“We talked about it publicly and on all occasions. Most of the deputies of the National Assembly of Artsakh (except for 4 deputies) and their leaders did not react in any way to our warnings. By your obedience and desire to please the Armenian authorities, you allowed the fate of Artsakh to be decided without your participation,” Kocharyan said.
The position of the deputies of the Armenian Parliament
The Hayastan opposition faction proposed, after the Prime Minister’s press conference, discussing his statements regarding the status of NK and assessing them. Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan replied that it is the right of the opposition to come up with such an initiative:
“But if you are interested in my personal opinion, then I fully share the position presented yesterday by the Prime Minister.”
The head of the ruling faction Artur Hovhannisyan stated that the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan “can in no way impede the realization of the rights and security of the Armenian people of Artsakh”:
“In this situation, there are more chances for the realization of the rights and security of the people of Artsakh, and fewer risks around the internationally recognized, sovereign territories of Armenia.”
The opposition regarded Pashinyan’s statement as “anti-state”, while adding that it was not unexpected.
“In fact, Nikol Pashinyan published the roadmap and schedule for the transfer of Artsakh and Armenia,” Ishkhan Saghatelyan, deputy from the Hayastan faction, told reporters.
Reaction to Pashinyan’s statement
Commentary by a former negotiator on the Karabakh issue
According to Vardan Oskanian, a former foreign minister of Armenia who has been involved in negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue for many years, Pashinyan openly announced that he was “handing over Karabakh” to Azerbaijan, as well as the territories of Armenia, “under the guise of enclaves.” According to him, this transfer of enclaves will unequivocally “damage strategic communications with Iran and Georgia,” that is, it will create the opportunity to completely block Armenia’s roads connecting it to other countries:
“I have no doubt that soon we will also hear that Azerbaijan is being given a corridor with no corridor logic. [He means the so-called Zangezur corridor, which Azerbaijan requires for connection with Nakhichevan. The Armenian authorities say they are ready to provide roads, but do not intend to lose sovereign control over this territory, which is what the term “corridor” suggests.]
All this is explained and justified by the primitive justification that in the situation created around Artsakh and Armenia, and in the context of the current geopolitical changes, there is simply no alternative.”
Oskanyan believes that the main reason for the current situation is Pashinyan’s “short-sighted military-political and diplomatic decisions.” In his opinion, the current “changeable geopolitical situation does not at all force us to urgently take absolutely unacceptable decisions, but, on the contrary, creates broad opportunities for achieving a favorable solution to the issue.”
The former minister said that “there is a serious alternative to what is being done” and that in a very short time it will be possible to “resolutely change the views and approaches of countries that are interested in this matter and carry out a mediating mission.”
“At the same time, it is possible to reach such a negotiation stage, when the coordination of the issues on the agenda will create an opportunity to reach a solution to the Artsakh problem that is understandable for the parties. And this can be the only guarantee of a stable and lasting, lasting peace in this region,” Oskanyan said.
The former Foreign Minister announced that the international community and Azerbaijan must realize that “Pashinyan’s solution to the problem” will not lead to peace between the two peoples:
“What is being done is unacceptable and reprehensible. I am sure that Pashinyan will not be able to resolve the issue in this way. Even if he signs such a document, it will be a temporary deviation from the normal course of history.”
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Reaction to Pashinyan’s statement
