ArmInfo. Former commander of the Karabakh Defense Army Samvel Babayan, who declared his presidential ambitions, responded to the call of the Prime Minister of Armenia to speak about the formula “status instead of territories.”
So, in a statement by Babayan’s office to ArmInfo, in particular, “An interesting situation arose around the statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan about the negotiation process, which he inherited from the former authorities. Finally, from the mouth of the head of state – the main negotiator I heard from Armenia that the basis of the negotiations was the surrender of all the liberated territories, and that all three presidents negotiated in this context. I declare with all responsibility that if it weren’t for the revolution in Armenia, we would have not only buffer territories were given, but also Artsakh itself.The main merit of the velvet revolution and Nikol Pashinyan was that the negotiations of Serzh Sargsyan on the basis of the Madrid principles were disrupted and the process of land handing was interrupted, but the negotiation process nevertheless resumed, and again around the same Madrid principles voiced by the Prime Minister during a joint meeting of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh, that is, the Armenian side today requires the same as under Serzh – this is a rejection of all liberated territories (7 districts: Agdam, Fiz whether Jerbrail, Zangelan, Kubatlu, Kelbajar and Lachin) and the return of Azerbaijani refugees.
In fact, Nikol Pashinyan is now driven into a dead end. If he continues the negotiation process in the form in which he got it, he will be forced to sign under the condition of the surrender of land. If he refuses the negotiation process, this will mean a refusal of promises to Azerbaijan from the previous authorities to transfer the land, which, accordingly, will provoke a war. Both the first scenario and the second are unacceptable for all Armenians, especially those living in Artsakh. However, the only outcome of the meeting of the joint Security Council held by Pashinyan with the current authorities of Artsakh was the Prime Minister’s proposal to replace ambiguous, with varying interpretations, wordings in the Madrid document. Strangely enough, the parties agreed with all other principles and points. How can you agree with the Madrid principles, the basis of which is the surrender of land and at the same time declare the unacceptability of a concession to even an inch of land, it is probably worth asking the applicants themselves – candidates for the presidency of Artsakh. And for journalists who are willing to retype the flash mob with such statements, I would advise before publishing also to clarify what post each of today’s held during the active negotiations with the previous authorities. If you did this, dear journalists, you would see that in the summer of 2016, at the very peak of the criminal negotiations, the current candidates were in the same criminal echelon of power, and in the first positions. If you, gentlemen, candidates are so categorically opposed to the surrender of land, why none of you have ever opposed the concessions, the criminal negotiation process and the inadmissibility of the Madrid principles before the change of power in Armenia. Why didn’t you fight like me, and didn’t go to jail for this, why didn’t you go on a hunger strike, didn’t write open letters to the authorities, with a forecast of the April outing of Azerbaijan, didn’t give numerous interviews to reach the public and reveal the criticality of the situation.
And today you declare that you will take responsibility for the future of Artsakh? First answer for the responsibility entrusted to you in the past. I speak with you directly, without an army of media and fakes bought. I ask you questions, unlike you, without hiding behind the backs of others. Answer and you honestly. Why were you silent, when before your eyes, with your tacit consent, the question of the lands liberated by the blood of my people and my soldier was being decided.
Why were you silent when the former authorities agreed to transfer Artsakh to Azerbaijan on a silver platter with a bow? I am sure that the new government in Armenia will soon reveal these and other details of the negotiating backstage. Today we are all in a situation no less difficult than we were in 1992, when Azerbaijan captured almost half of Karabakh and intended to take Stepanakert. Only then it happened through military operations, and now, with just a stroke of the pen. The fact that Azerbaijan is dictating the terms of negotiations today happened through the fault of the former authorities of Armenia, as well as the former and current authorities of Artsakh. The fact that today the Armenian side is forced to bargain for peace in exchange for lands was due to the inaction of those who today are trying to stay in power at all costs, who, instead of building a powerful economy and a professional combat-ready army, were engaged exclusively in personal enrichment. It is time to finally understand that Azerbaijan will only abandon the desire to return the land when it is sure that it will not succeed in winning the war, when the power of our army will be undeniable. Only having built a strong state, with a socially secure population and a combat- ready army, can we make us reckon with our interests and sit at the negotiating table on equal terms. So that I would not interfere with the plan of land handing over, the previous authorities tried to remove me from the political arena for more than 20 years. But today I am in Artsakh, together with my people, and if the court does not make a fair decision, that is, does not restore me in the right to participate in the presidential election, we will introduce our candidate. In this case, at the extraordinary congress of our party “Miasnakan Ayrenik” on February 9, the name of the new presidential candidate who implements our party program will be announced – this is, first of all, ensuring the security of the Artsakh borders, launching effective repatriation mechanisms, restoring military and economic power in the shortest possible time. If today we do not unite around these goals, consider that we have lost Artsakh. Dear Armenians, my dear Artsakhians. I urge you today to soberly face the truth and fully understand what is really happening in these fateful days. You choose not between different models of a prosperous life, but between whether or not to be Artsakh, whether or not you and your children live on this earth. We paid for the right to live in our homeland at the cost of blood. And today they can sell us: those who live on this earth and perished for this land. The threat of surrendering land or war is more relevant than ever. Therefore, I urge you to approach your choice with all responsibility. There will no longer be a chance to correct the error. He is only now, while we are still able to become the arbiters of our destinies. ” Earlier, Pashinyan, during a large press conference on January 25 in Kapan, called on presidential candidates in Artsakh to express an opinion on the legacy in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue left by the previous Armenian authorities.
“Let’s see what kind of legacy Serzh Sargsyan left in the Karabakh issue. Recently, an article was published in one of the media that essentially quoted the document at which point Serzh Sargsyan left the negotiation process, and did not officially refute the previous authorities Received …
Paragraph one: the ultimate goals of a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were the return of 7 regions to Azerbaijan – Agdam, Fizuli, Jebrail Zangelan, Kubatly, Kelbajar and Lachin, provided that the corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia remains. Decision of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh by universal suffrage, which is the free _expression_ of the will of the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh under the auspices of the UN or OSCE within the time agreed between the parties, which will be legally binding and will comply with the norms and principles of international law, given that the issue is put to the vote or questions should not be limited and may include all status options. Complete settlement of political, trade, economic and humanitarian ties in the region, restoration of good-neighborly cooperation, ensuring complete stability in the region of the South Caucasus. Paragraph two: immigrants with the assistance of the international community will leave the territories of five districts indicated in the first paragraph. Azerbaijani civilian authorities will enter these territories after the international peacekeeping forces are deployed and the armed forces located in these areas are withdrawn. Peacekeeping forces will be deployed along the administrative borders of the former Nagorno- Karabakh Autonomous Region, with the exception of the Kelbajar and Lachin districts. The Kelbajar region will remain under transition monitoring by the OSCE.
The third paragraph: at the same time, along with the adoption of the above measures, until the final resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Nagorno-Karabakh should be endowed with a temporary status that guarantees the organization of its daily life, “Pashinyan said, noting that this is the legacy that was on the negotiating table.
We also note that the nationwide elections in Artsakh will be held on March 31.