What Could Armenia Have Gained from the January 11 Meeting That It Did Not: V. Manukyan's Analysis

Vazgen Manukyan has addressed the trilateral meeting in Moscow, which we present below:

The trilateral meeting in Moscow has concluded, provoking serious concerns and anxieties within the socio-political circles. Armenia did not gain any positive results from this meeting, remaining empty-handed regarding the issue of prisoners. Azerbaijan once again reaffirmed the objectives it had pursued.

This marks yet another disgraceful defeat for Armenia. Following the November 9 statement, Azerbaijan had already received more than it could have dreamed of, and it has since violated certain provisions of that statement in its own favor—specifically, point 1 (“…the parties shall stop at their current positions”) and point 8 (“…exchange of military prisoners, hostages, and other detainees, as well as the bodies of the deceased”). All of this occurred with the help and inaction of Nikol Pashinyan.

On January 11 in Moscow, Aliyev reaffirmed and established new grounds for the implementation of point 9 (“…economic and transport communications are unblocked, and the Republic of Armenia guarantees the safety of transport connections between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic…”), which holds significant strategic importance for Azerbaijan. It is beyond doubt that under Pashinyan’s leadership, the outcomes of further negotiations on this point will also fully satisfy only Azerbaijan.

What could Armenia have gained from the January 11 meeting that it did not? The issue regarding the first point of the November 9 trilateral statement, which has been violated in favor of Azerbaijan and poses a threat to Syunik, should have been raised. There was no record regarding the resolution of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group or the status of Artsakh, which is also a significant failure.

Moreover, the issue of prisoners should have been clearly articulated and resolved. The trilateral meeting on January 11 and the joint statement once again affirmed our stance that Nikol Pashinyan is unable to advance the interests of Armenia and the Armenian people. The symbol of defeat must be removed; otherwise, our losses and humiliations will continue.

—Vazgen Manukyan
National Salvation Movement