I Call on All Our Partners to Fully Understand the Essence of This Conflict

President Armen Sarkissian participated in a remote conference titled "Crisis in the Caucasus and Causes of War" organized by the Union of JUDAN Journalists in Greece on October 19, where he answered questions from representatives of Greece and various international media outlets.

As reported by the Public Relations Department of the Office of the President of the Republic of Armenia, questions addressed to the Armenian president specifically revolved around Turkey's involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and how to halt Turkey's neo-Ottoman policies being implemented in Syria, Lebanon, the Mediterranean region, and Artsakh.

President Sarkissian agreed with the reporters' observation that Turkey's policies are destabilizing and expansionist. He emphasized that on September 27, Azerbaijan decided to abandon the peaceful negotiation process and unleash war, while Turkey provided it with full political, diplomatic, and military support.

In response to a question about the reasons for Turkey's involvement, the president noted: "It is evident that in recent years, Turkey has been attempting to become an energy hub, a country that will manage energy flows from the Caspian Sea, Central Asia, Azerbaijan to the West - Europe. This is not just about the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan gas pipeline. By becoming a party to the conflict along with Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, Turkey is physically present there under the pretext of allegedly helping its ethnic brothers or protecting international logistic pipelines. In reality, these are excuses for being there, not only to be present but also to manage -" he stated.

"In doing so, Turkey will have a strong influence on Azerbaijan’s policies and ultimately have a significant impact on European countries and Central Asia. Turkey seeks to have a dominant role over energy flows, becoming the main country controlling energy flows from the east, south, and possibly the north to Europe," added President Sarkissian.

The president noted that while Turkey speaks about Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, it has occupied territories in Syria, Iraq, and Cyprus. "How is it that after committing so many occupations, a country today speaks about Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, saying it is very important? Their words and actions do not match."

The president stated that the presence of Syrian refugees in Turkey is another tool for exerting pressure on Europe, as the European Union spends resources keeping these refugees on Turkish territory.

"Turkey's military, energy, and migration expansions have led to political expansion. Here, Turkey is putting efforts to pressure Russia, the EU, and the United States. Why is Turkey doing this? If you go back 20 years, Turkey’s economy was growing rapidly, but in recent years, the opposite has been true. Major international companies are leaving Turkey, the economy is in decline, while nationalism and Islamist ideology are on the rise," noted President Sarkissian.

"As a result, we see that Turkey is also utilizing extreme Islam as a tool for its foreign and domestic policy. We see that Turkey supports Islamist jihadists. Those same jihadists supported by Turkey have gone to Libya, and today they are being brought from Libya and Syria to Artsakh. During the first Nagorno-Karabakh war, there were mercenaries from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other places. However, for the first time, these Islamist terrorists have been brought to the region by one state," he added.

According to President Sarkissian, the instability created by Turkey in the region could reach Russia, Iran, and possibly Central Asia. "There is also another special message from Turkey to the Azerbaijanis, saying that you have not been able to deal with this issue, we are here to help you; we do not care that Armenians have lived here for thousands of years, we will carry out the ethnic cleansing for you. They also say that they know how to do this since they did it 105 years ago; at the end of the Ottoman Empire, that ethnic cleansing ended with the killing of 1.5 million Armenians in Western Armenia."

When asked what Armenia expects from Russia, the United States, and the EU, President Sarkissian replied, "I call on all our partners to fully understand the essence of this conflict and to clearly state the need to stop the war. There must be a very clear and strong statement that a ceasefire is absolutely necessary and that Turkey must withdraw from this conflict. I expect NATO to clarify its position: if this organization has declared completely different goals since its inception, how can it tolerate such behavior of one of its member countries in the Caucasus? My message to the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group is clear: let’s rid the conflict of Turkey's involvement, achieve a ceasefire, and bring the parties to the negotiating table. There is no better format than the OSCE Minsk Group."

The president found Greece's proposal for an arms embargo on Turkey by EU and NATO member countries to be logical. "If the weapons sold to Turkey were used against the aggressor, against international, Islamist terrorists, I would understand that, but when they originate from NATO member countries and target civilian people in Artsakh, that is unacceptable. If this idea or step is approved by other countries, Armenia will welcome such an initiative."

President Sarkissian thanked the government of Greece, the parliament, and the Greek people for supporting the Armenians. "Our two peoples have a joint history of thousands of years. I am confident that we will overcome today’s difficulties, continue to create peace, culture... Our cooperation and friendship have a long history. I thank the government of Greece, the parliament, and all the politicians for showing complete support."

In response to a question from a representative of one of the Armenian media outlets in Greece about further actions towards the Diaspora, President Sarkissian first expressed gratitude to Armenians around the world. "I think they are demonstrating fantastic behavior. I want to take this opportunity to thank them all. I know why this issue is so sensitive for our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora. This is not just a homeland for them; Artsakh is part of Armenian history and heritage, Armenian culture. Turkey’s involvement here completely changes the situation because for every Armenian today, Turkish involvement in the war against Armenians reminds them of the genocide. This is an issue that the Armenian people cannot accept."