Former Authorities Agreed to Hand Over Artsakh to Azerbaijan for 5 Billion Dollars, Samvel Babayan

Former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Samvel Babayan has issued a statement regarding the upcoming presidential elections in Artsakh, offering a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Below is the text of the statement:

“An interesting situation has arisen surrounding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statements regarding the legacy received from the former authorities concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Finally, the statement from the head of state, as the main negotiator on behalf of Armenia, confirmed that the basis of the negotiations involves the transfer of liberated territories and that the previous three presidents conducted talks specifically within this context. (Press conference of PM N. Pashinyan in Kapan, 25.01.2020).

I declare with full responsibility that if there hadn’t been a revolution in Armenia, not only would the buffer zones have been handed over, but also Artsakh would have been lost. Thanks to the Velvet Revolution and Nikol Pashinyan, the negotiations pursued by Serzh Sargsyan based on the Madrid principles were disrupted, and the process of land transfer was halted.

Nevertheless, the negotiation process was restored again within the framework of the Madrid principles, as indicated by the Prime Minister at a joint meeting of the Security Councils of Artsakh and Armenia held in Stepanakert. This means that currently, the Armenian side is required to do the same as it did during Serzh's time: abandon the liberated territories (7 regions - Agdam, Fizuli, Jebrail, Zangelan, Kubatly, Kelbajar, and Lachin) and return Azerbaijani refugees.

Essentially, Nikol Pashinyan has found himself at a dead end. If he continues the negotiation process from the inherited point, he will inevitably have to sign under the condition of transferring the land. On the other hand, if he refuses to engage in talks, it will mean rejecting the prior authorities’ agreements with Azerbaijan on the land transfer, which would lead to war. Both scenarios are unacceptable for the entire Armenian community and especially for the people of Artsakh.

Meanwhile, the sole result of the meetings of the current Artsakh authorities with the Security Council has been the proposal by the Prime Minister to clarify the formulations that give rise to misinterpretations of the Madrid document. Despite other principles and clauses, the parties have surprisingly agreed (Statement by PM N. Pashinyan during a joint meeting of the Security Councils of Armenia and Artsakh on 12.03.2019).

How it is possible to agree with the Madrid principles, which are fundamentally based on land transfer, and simultaneously declare that even a square inch of land cannot be ceded, is likely a question for the declarants, the candidates for the presidency of Artsakh. And concerning the journalists covering the flashmob of breathless responses given to the Prime Minister, I would advise them to check what positions each of these 'patriots' held during the active negotiation phase under the previous authorities before publication. If you, dear journalists, had taken this step, you would see that the current candidates for the presidency of Artsakh were in the same corrupt ruling elite in the summer of 2016, precisely during the hottest phase of these criminal negotiations and indeed in the front rows.

If you truly have a radically firm stance on the land transfer issue, then why did none of you express opposition to concessions, treasonous negotiations, and the Madrid principles before the change of power? Why didn’t any of you, like me, fight, serve time in prison? Why didn’t you declare a hunger strike? Why didn’t you write open letters predicting the April events, give interviews to alert the public, and expose the seriousness of the situation? (Samvel Babayan’s letter to Serzh Sargsyan (2013), https://www.7or.am/am/news/view/103930/), (Exclusive interview with Samvel Babayan, Radio Liberty, 17.06.2016).

And you now declare that you are assuming responsibility for Artsakh’s future? Gentlemen candidates, first answer for the responsibility entrusted to you before.

I am speaking to you without paid media and an army of fake accounts. Unlike you, I raise questions without hiding behind others. Answer honestly. Why were you silent when the issue of land liberated at the cost of my people and my soldier's blood was being decided with your silent consent? Why were you silent when former authorities were serving up Artsakh to Azerbaijan for 5 billion dollars? I am convinced that the new authorities of the Republic of Armenia will soon reveal the details of these behind-the-scenes negotiations and more.

Today, we are no less burdened than in 1992 when Azerbaijan had captured almost half of Karabakh and was preparing to seize Stepanakert. If it happened then through military operations, now it could simply be done with a stroke of a pen.

The fact that Azerbaijan today dictates negotiation terms is the fault of both the former and current authorities of Armenia and Artsakh. The fact that the Armenian side has to wrestle for peace in exchange for land is a consequence of their inaction, those who today are trying to hold onto power at any cost, those who have amassed wealth instead of building a strong economy and a professional army.

It is time to finally understand that Azerbaijan will only abandon the idea of reclaiming territories when it is convinced that it cannot win a war; when the strength of our army becomes an undeniable reality. Only with a strong state, a socially secure population, and a combat-ready army can we compel respect for our interests and negotiate as equals.

In order not to obstruct the land transfer program, the former authorities have tried to remove me from the political sphere for more than 20 years. Yet today, I am in Artsakh, alongside my people. And if the court does not make a just ruling and restore my right to run for president, we will nominate our candidate.

In that case, at the extraordinary congress of the 'United Homeland' party on February 9, a new candidate for presidency will be announced, who will implement our party program - ensuring the security of Artsakh’s borders, establishing effective mechanisms for repatriation, and restoring Artsakh's military and economic strength in a short time. If we do not unite around these goals today, consider that we have lost Artsakh.

Dear compatriots, my beloved Artsakh residents, I urge you to look the reality in the eye with sober reasoning and to consciously approach these fateful events. You are making a choice not between different models of prosperity but between the existence or non-existence of Artsakh, between whether our children will live or not on this land.

We have earned the right to live in our homeland through blood. And today, we, who live on this land and those who sacrificed for this land, can be sold out. The danger of land transfer or war is more timely than ever. Therefore, I urge you to approach your own choice with the utmost responsibility. There will be no other opportunity to correct a mistake. It is given only now - while we can be the architects of our destiny.