STEPANAKERT (ARF Press Service)—President Serzh Sarkisian should not have gone to Munich for the OSCE-sponsored talks, in the wake Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s military threats against Armenia, said Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau member Vahan Hovanessian during a press conference Tuesday at the Artsakh press club.
The ARF leader said that Armenia’s absence from the Munich meeting would have been accepted by the international community since it would have fallen within international norms of peaceful conflict resolution principles.
“[Armenia] should have told the mediators that [Alieyv’s] announcement was equal to pressure and we do not see the imperative to negotiate under pressure,” said Hovannesian, who added that Aliyev’s military threats could not be seen as one of his regular such statements, but an ultimatum.
On Friday, Aliyev said in comments televised across his country, that if Armenia did not agree to “return occupied territories” Azerbaijan would have no problem in seizing them through military force.
Hovannesian suggested that Armenia could have used Aliyev’s remarks as weapon against Azerbaijan in the negotiation process, but failed to do so.
The mediators should have been urged by Sarkisian to call Azerbaijan to task on its unconstructive and damaging behavior, and by not attending the Munich talks Armenia could have sent a clear signal to Azerbaijan and the OSCE mediators that Armenia did not stand for such threats, he explained.
“I have stopped believing the Minsk Group co-chairs’ announcements, because they contradict themselves,” said Hovannesian.
“Everything is being done to squeeze concessions from Armenia on the Karabakh front, in order to make the Armenia-Turkey protocols approval process easier,” said Hovannesian, adding that the ARF had been warning the Armenian government about such traps, in which, the ARF believes, the Armenian authorities have fallen once before by agreeing to take part in the rapprochement process.
“The best option is to not ratify the protocols. This would not be such a frightening situation. The talks would begin from scratch or from a point where Armenia would have an opportunity to bypass the current dangers,” said Hovannesian.
Hovsannesian, who also leads the ARF parliamentary faction in Armenia, argued that Armenia’s response to Aliyev’s remarks—recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic—is but one element of solving the problem. He added that pursuing international recognition for Karabakh would facilitate Stepanakert’s complete participation in the peace process.
In his remarks, Hovannesian also commented on Russia’s recent posturing on issues related to Armenia, which he described as being Moscow’s closest regional ally.
“I consider Russia’s current role in both Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Azeri relations to be very dangerous for Armenia,” said Hovannesian.
Armenian concessions in its negotiations with Turkey have shown Armenia as the weakest point and the loser and out of the game .These encouraged World Powers to ask for more concessions. No one stands with the losing side .
This Sarkisian administration is a disaster for the Armenian people everywhere.
They are ridiculing us.
They have no sense of direction
We are not happy with their decisions.
How much mor humiliation does this Sarkisian need before he realisez that he is being take for a fool
You guys just are not getting it are you? You can do all the screaming that you want. The man pushed himself to Presidency with personal agendas of his and those of others and does not care a bit about Armenia or the Armenian people. Wake up and smell the coffee. Frankly, he seems a bit more open and aggressive about his personal goals than those of his predecessors. I am sure then next one is going to be even worse.
I don’t agree with the protocols and criticized them number of times. I think the damage done will be irreversable . I have the impression that Armenia was under so much pressure that Sarkisian had no alternative but sign. Despite the media disinformations,he seems to be holding firm on Artsakh. Turkey no way will endorse the protocoles without the return of ” the occupied territories” to ABJ. This paves the way for Armenia to walk away and start again.
I also think that Mr Sarkisian decided to play a game rather than say NO to the international community.The trouble is that he is in it so deep,it will take a brave man to predict the outcome of this whole mess. It goes without saying that the international community will go into overdrive to get what they want,in view of that, Mr Sarkisian has to get his finger out and pull himself out of it,the way to do it is to stand firm on Artsakh and all good thing will follow.
One can only pray.
President Serzh Sarkisyan should have stayed at home and hold a tight position on Karabakh issue. We were victorious in 1994, yet our government behaves like a defeated party, ready to compromise, thus allowing Ilham Aliyev to make any threats that he wishes.
Another incompetence of the current government is their lack of willingness to engage our politicians, lawyers, and community leaders from Diaspora to put our brains together in order to take an approach which maximizes the outcome for our nation. There are very many dedicated, knowledgeable, and shrewd Armenians in Diaspora with 100% devotion to the betterment of our nation and country. Instead, everything is done by the current government behind curtain, even without direct engagement of the government of Karabakh. Then the people get faced with an after the fact situation. Our nation deserves a government which is the “Government of All Armenians”, i.e. Armenian Republic, Karabakh, Diaspora, or where ever an Armenian lives.
Russians are no longer in Azerbaijan. If Azerbaijanis continues threatening Armenia, the Armenian ambassador in Iran should start encouraging the Iranian leadership in Tehran to abrogate Golestan (1813) and Torkemanchayi Treaties (1924) and put an immediate claim on Azeri territory. It’s about time Azerbaijanis joined their former native homeland. Many sincerely religious Shia Azeris might in fact be delighted. They will be able to go to the Iranian mosques and Shia holy pilgrimage centers in Mashhad and Quom and worship their God without Aliev’s government bulling them. And for the Iranians, Baku oil fields and southwestern Caspian continental shelf oil reserves might be too tempting. To the delight of Armenians, with the West being preoccupied in Afghanistan and Iraq, Iranians might march all the way to Baku and overthrow Aliev’s threatening government.
It was unfortunate that Fathali Shah-e Ghagar of Persia being preoccupied with Circassian and Georgian slave girls in his harem, ignored to protect the northwestern periphery of his empire. Armenians can help Iranians to declare abovementioned two treaties null and void and eventually annex Azeri territory. It will be nice to get rid of a mean, cantankerous, and bellicose enemy.
agree a lot with you here Antranik, there are no clear details and information about all these negotiations and there is a huge pressure on us by the supper power nations, and sadly we dont have much to offer or oppose them, everybody knows what is mean opposing the supper poweres in this world, more damge can be done and migh not get any help anymore from no one since already we dont have that much help and we rely a lot on others such as Russia, this is the reality of our nation today, the gas and oil plans in region is the problem and for sure we are unable to stop it or stand in the way of such plans like that, Russia relationship with Turkiy today is close than any day before but there is a reason for that, the proposed gas pipe line connecting Russia to Turkey through and underneath the Black Sea is the reason, and thats why we might see pressure even from Russia on Armenia for normalization between Turkey and Armenia, and demand Armenia for Sertin concessions on Turkish and Genocide fronts such as pre conditon of recognition the Genocide, treritores and compensations! the importance of this pipe line is beyond the imagination of our people! we know how big market Turkey is today, talking about 50 millions+ muslim that will double within 20 years from now, and the pipe line doesnt stop there, it will go all the way to IZRAEL and maybe beyond!!!! lets be realistic here, do u think the Genocide recognition worth stopping such a plan like that? what can we offer in exchange to stop such a big and influancial project like that?? Non! so aviously we have to make painfull concessions in order to survive! but I dont believe as I see that Russia will betray Armenia and leave us alone in the middle of this battle, Russia asking for sertin concessions tp pass this plan with turkey historicly and stratijicly they won becasue we are a very important ally for them in the region and the history sais that too, no concessions on Artsakh issue so far both Aremnaia and Russia are staying firm and its been said many times that those 2 issues are seperate and has nothing to do with protocoles, Artsakh is much moe important then genocide imn my idea, genocide gone and 95 years on now, Artsakh is in our hands and will always be, Artsakh is untouchable
Mr. Sarksyan should not have become a president.