168 Hours: Why Pashinyan Has Entered a Dangerous Game Regarding Artsakh

168 Hours newspaper writes: In a recent interview with Public Television, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed various issues, including the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, making concerning statements. Specifically, he elaborated on a thesis he put forward during discussions with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Munich, suggesting that for Armenia, there are no territories but rather security that must not be compromised. Pashinyan essentially stated on air that "under the appropriate conditions, it could be yielded." He mentioned that if Azerbaijan presented adequate proposals regarding that security, "we will discuss it with the people."

This manipulative thesis, which may seem linguistically and rhetorically successful, is very dangerous. Because through Pashinyan's reasoning, it follows that if tomorrow Azerbaijan, perhaps with the support of the international community or through mediation, offers any guarantees for the security of Artsakh, the Armenian side might also consider yielding security—or territories, in essence.

Azerbaijan could take this opportunity to undertake certain commitments regarding the provision of Artsakh's security, for instance, in exchange for returning 2 or 5 regions. That security may also be ensured for a specific period until the completion of the deal, after which Azerbaijan's hands could be freed, and under any pretext, it could revert to threatening Artsakh's security. Thus, the current leadership of Armenia essentially declares an obligation to yield territories for nothing.

Previously, the Armenian leadership had also discussed readiness for concessions, but these were always conditioned on the recognition of Artsakh's status. Moreover, Serzh Sargsyan consistently repeated the phrase "Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan," which Nikol Pashinyan has not mentioned from any podium or in any speech over the past two years.

Today, the issue of Artsakh's status seems to have been pushed into the background, and terms like