Sargsyan Confirms Armenian Negotiator Was Ready to Sign Document Ceding Regions and Leaving Artsakh's Status Uncertain

Serzh Sargsyan confirmed in an interview that by 2018, the negotiation process had reached a point where the Armenian negotiator, namely himself, was ready to sign a document that would involve ceding the 5+2 regions, while the clarification of Artsakh's status would be left to an uncertain future. This was stated by Ruben Rubinyan, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Foreign Relations, on his Facebook page.

His post reads as follows: "Serzh Sargsyan confirmed in his interview that by 2018, the negotiation process had reached a point where the Armenian negotiator, namely himself, was ready to sign a document that would involve ceding the 5+2 regions, while the clarification of Artsakh's status would be left to an uncertain future. Moreover, the question of a referendum regarding the status would not be enshrined as limited. Essentially, territories for peace.

It is good that Mr. Sargsyan reiterated this. However, two questions arise here: 1. Why were Sargsyan's allies accusing Nikol Pashinyan daily after the revolution of something they were preparing to do themselves (returning territories)? 2. Ultimately, does the Republican Party accuse Nikol Pashinyan now of ceding territories or not ceding them?

The answer to the second question is particularly important for the analysis of the entire negotiation process and the circumstances that led to the start of the war because, agreeably, it is impossible to present two contradictory accusations simultaneously and, moreover, to counter them at the same time. In other words, a substantive debate cannot genuinely begin from a self-contradictory accusation of "traitor, why didn’t you give up the lands."

It should be noted that the third President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, gave an interview to ArmNews, addressing the peace negotiation process regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the diplomatic and military-political failures of the Republic of Armenia in the recent war, the causes and consequences of capitulation, as well as plans aimed at addressing the situation and the future.