Nagorno-Karabakh has historically been part of Armenian territory: Armen Sarkissian's interview with Al-Jarida

The interview of the President of the Republic of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, with the Kuwaiti Arabic newspaper Al-Jarida.

Question - Who initiated military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh, and what is the political context of this occurrence? Are we witnessing a proxy war, or is this another battlefield for a war over energy resources?

- Nagorno-Karabakh has historically been part of Armenian territory, and Armenians have lived here for thousands of years. Historically, Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh, has always been part of Armenia. It is a beautiful mountainous region where Armenians, as indigenous people, have lived for thousands of years and continue to live to this day. It was only during the Soviet rule that Nagorno-Karabakh was granted to Azerbaijan by Stalin for about 70 years as an autonomous region. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the first war broke out, followed by negotiations for about 30 years. The Azerbaijani side claims that they have a legitimate right to liberate those territories. But liberate from whom? It is 100% populated by ethnic Armenians who have always lived there. Why should they leave their homes just because the Azerbaijani side wants them to? This is called aggression, followed by ethnic cleansing. They need those territories without Armenians.

The Azerbaijani control over those territories and justifications for its aggression is part of their identity-building narrative, while for the Armenian side, it is a struggle for survival, cultural heritage, and historical memory. It is a fight for their home, parents, and children who live there and have now become direct targets of Turkish drones and Azerbaijani missiles. Azerbaijan has unleashed this large-scale war despite the clear agreement established by the ceasefire in 1994. This is a real war that Azerbaijan and Turkey have long and seriously prepared for. The Azerbaijani side wants to eliminate the status quo and impose its will. Turkey supports this dangerous initiative of Azerbaijan militarily and politically, leading to a humanitarian disaster in the region.

We Armenians have never been involved in the fight for energy infrastructure. On the contrary, there have even been discussions about exporting electricity from Armenia to Turkey, just as it was done with Iran and Georgia. Regarding your question about proxy wars, I can say that Turkey uses Azerbaijan to increase its dominance in the region. However, by doing so, it risks the fragile stability of the South Caucasus.

Question - Considering the regional tensions, do you fear that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh could lead to a new Syria?

- Yes, I am afraid because if there is no strong international response to Turkey's deliberate and illegal actions in the region, it could turn into a Syrian nightmare. Everyone will suffer from it within the region and beyond. Therefore, if Turkey is not forced to cease its direct interference in military offensives, the conflict between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan could spiral out of control. We must not allow Turkey and Azerbaijan to escalate and complicate the situation further, creating a scenario that ends up turning the Caucasus into another Syria. Turkey continuously recruits and sends mercenaries and jihadist terrorists to fight against the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, or as we say, the Republic of Artsakh. Various countries need to intervene and exert strong and clear pressure on Turkey to stop its involvement in the region. If Turkey stays away, we will gain the opportunity for a viable ceasefire and negotiations, as well as the possibility of returning to the negotiating table.

Turkey's involvement and Azerbaijani aggression, which did not cease even during the humanitarian ceasefire declared on October 10, are perceived not only by the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia but also by the entire world Armenian community and friends of Armenians, as an intention to repeat what happened 105 years ago—the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from their homeland with the aim of carrying out another genocide. We, Armenians, in Armenia, Artsakh, and the diaspora, will never allow another genocide to occur. Never again.

Question - The Azerbaijani authorities claim that Armenian volunteers, particularly from Syria and Lebanon, are joining the fight. Is this true? Do you not fear that this could escalate the religious aspects of the conflict?

- After the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire and never recognized by the modern Republic of Turkey, Armenians scattered all over the world and became proud citizens of countries such as the USA, Russia, France, Iran, Argentina, Lebanon, Australia, Syria, Georgia, Singapore, Poland, and so on. They have effectively integrated into the countries and societies that became home to them, contributing to the economy, politics, culture, sports, science, technology, education, and other fields of their host countries. When there is an existential threat, all Armenians around the world mobilize, even coming to their homeland to help their brothers and sisters on the ground. Azerbaijan and Turkey, not Armenia, should be held accountable for bringing mercenary killers and fanatical jihadists into our region, thereby complicating the process of achieving peace. The civilized world must stop this trend. The existence of mercenaries in the 21st century, who are paid to kill civilians or create humanitarian disasters, is unacceptable.

Regarding the religious factor, Armenians have never exhibited negative attitudes or intolerance towards adherents of other religions. In this context of the conflict, the religious factor has been entirely absent from the very start. Armenia and Armenians have total respect for all religions and beliefs, and throughout our thousands of years of history, we have clearly demonstrated our commitment to human values, including tolerance and respect for other religions, cultures, races, and so forth. I do not recognize any Armenian who harbors hatred towards representatives of other religions. We adopted Christianity in 301 AD, being the first country in the world to do so officially. Over the course of two millennia, the Armenian people have gone through wars, conflicts, displacements, even genocide, yet they have never become religiously blind fanatics as we see among some of the fighters on the Azerbaijani side. However, there will always be people who want to fuel hatred and ignite new tensions, and they will claim that there is a religious factor, which is absurd.

Question - Are you satisfied with the position of the Arab Gulf countries regarding the situation?

- From the very first day, when the Azerbaijani side launched an unprecedented attack against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh with Turkey's support, I have been in touch with the leaders of Arab countries, such as the Sultan of Oman, the King of Bahrain, the Emir of Qatar, the President of Egypt, the King of Jordan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and others. In my letters to them, as well as during phone calls, I have expressed deep concern about the developing situation, noting that unfortunately, such event-driven wars initiated by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia are not new, and that for more than three decades, Azerbaijan has been trying to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue through military means, pushing Armenians out of their homeland, which is unacceptable.

Question - What demands does Armenia have for establishing a ceasefire? How do you envision a political solution?

- This is not the first time in the last 30 years that Azerbaijan, enjoying Turkey's unabashed support, has launched such a horrific attack against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, using a wide variety of artillery and missile technology, including the use of prohibited cluster bombs targeting residential areas that are far from the contact line. Notably, the pathways of this conflict were drawn in 1990-1991 when, in response to the peaceful protests of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, the then Soviet Azerbaijan attempted to carry out mass ethnic cleansing through brutal military force and continued its atrocities by violently expelling the Armenian population. However, the Armenian people resisted this imposed war and won the right to 26 years of independent and peaceful life in their own homeland within the prolonged process of ongoing negotiations.

Today, the ongoing Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression that we face showcases their genocidal intentions, forcing Armenians again to fight for their homes, families, thousand-year history, and monuments. We are more than convinced that the international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh is the only option that guarantees the safety and rights of the Armenians living there. The political solution to this issue is clear—the only way to prevent possible genocide and the forced displacement of these people is to recognize their right to self-determination internationally.

Question - Are you optimistic about the upcoming meetings of France, Russia, and the USA? Do you think international intervention will help or complicate the situation?

- International mediation conducted by the co-chairing OSCE Minsk Group of France, Russia, and the United States is one of the main platforms for achieving a peaceful resolution; however, this fragile peace has been overtly undermined by Turkey and Azerbaijan, destabilizing the Caucasus region and bringing in mercenaries and jihadists to fight against Armenians from September 27.

The joint statements of the leaders of France, Russia, and the United States about immediately ceasing violence and returning to the negotiating table have been ignored not only by the Azerbaijani government but, first and foremost, by Turkish President Erdoğan, who bears responsibility for inciting Azerbaijan's aggression against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and for participating militarily in it. Thus, the only international intervention has been Turkey's, which has not only complicated the situation but has also become a real threat to the existence of the Armenian population and severely destabilized the entire region. Here, the statement of Turkey’s Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu, that his country will continue to support Azerbaijan in all circumstances, affirms Turkey's military engagement in this war.

This fact should cause serious concern for the NATO member states, as their ally initiates aggression against a partner country involved in NATO's Partnership for Peace program. In this regard, international stakeholders, all those interested in long-term peace or resolving the conflict, particularly France, the USA, Russia, and other countries, must ensure that Turkey refrains from intervening and hold Ankara and Baku accountable for inciting this horrific war.

Question - Armenia expressed dissatisfaction with the USA regarding the use of F-16s, as well as to Israel for supplying weapons to Baku, while Russia is very cautious in providing you support. Are you not worried that Armenia will be left alone?

- Regarding the use of Turkish F-16s in this war, this issue was raised by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who stated that he would like the USA to clarify whether those fighters were sent to Turkey to bomb Armenian civilians. This issue also pertains to NATO, as Turkey is a NATO member and operates F-16s. And I have asked some of my NATO partners to pay extremely close attention to this fact because a situation has been created where a NATO member, which has a clear mandate for actions, is participating or involved in a conflict with third parties that are not NATO members. Does Turkey have such permission or a green light from NATO to do so? If so, we need to know. If not, I hope that our NATO partners will make their voices heard and exert pressure on Turkey to prevent it from interfering in this conflict, as its presence does nothing but exacerbate the situation.

The issue of Israel's continuous weapons sales to Azerbaijan has a long history that continues to remain incomprehensible for Armenian society. Even now, when a Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression is being enacted against Armenians, the Israeli government continues to arm the aggressor, which is incomprehensible and unacceptable for the Armenian side. The Armenian side raises a simple question: why is the Jewish state, which has also survived a genocide, arming those who wage a genocidal war against Armenia? Armenia and Artsakh are not alone, as we stand on the side of truth. Regarding Russia's position, President Vladimir Putin has clearly indicated that Russia has committed and will continue to remain faithful to its obligations as a bilateral and multilateral security contractual ally within the framework of strategic partnership with Armenia.