New Aggression Has Already Started: Syunik Will Be in the First Phase, Says David Babayan

Artsakh has not been destroyed as a "shield," but it is battered and does not fully carry out the mission it has undertaken for centuries, especially in recent decades. We will certainly recover; there are all possibilities if we work correctly. David Babayan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh, stated this during a conversation with "Factinfo."

- Mr. Babayan, the Azerbaijani side fired several bursts from the direction of Shushi yesterday. How is the situation at the moment? How do you view these shots in the context of Aliyev's statements?

- Overall, the situation is stable, but Azerbaijan has certainly not abandoned its destructive policy; therefore, it resorts to various provocations and will continue to do so. We must be prepared for this and approach these issues with extreme composure. Nothing has changed. It’s the same Azerbaijan: it has not revised its approaches or goals in any way.

- Do Aliyev's statements, when he attempts to present Armenian lands as Azerbaijani or considers the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict closed, contain the risk of starting new aggression?

- New aggression has already begun. They have started to carry out a program.

- Are you referring to Syunik?

- Syunik will be in the first phase. The first blow was to Artsakh. We have always said how important Artsakh is for Mother Armenia. It was a "shield." Some thought it was a burden; that’s the problem. Artsakh as a shield has not been destroyed, but it is battered and not fully carrying out the mission it has performed for centuries, especially in recent decades. We will certainly heal; there are all possibilities if we work correctly. Azerbaijan has already begun to implement this program. This does not mean they will succeed. It depends on us whether it succeeds or not.

We can already see that they have opened the geopolitical front of Zangezur. Azerbaijan is an established country. This must always be taken into account, and they approach everything systematically. Initially, they constantly spoke about their historical lands, wrote books, and now they have started to embody it. They have formed economic regions, one of which they call Eastern Zangezur, which has never existed as part of Azerbaijan. When asked why they call it that, they say it is an economic region and not administrative. Later, they will turn it into an administrative region, and they will create a vilayet. We immediately said this is the first step; later, they will turn it into an administrative territorial unit, a vilayet, and then they will start talking about Western Zangezur, and that’s precisely how it has happened. Aliyev officially declared that Western Zangezur is occupied by Armenia, and they want to liberate it. This means that this process will continue. Whether we want it or not, we can prevent it.

- How can we prevent it?

- By having a strong state. By having a professional and patriotic society that is united. There is no other option.

- Do you believe we are on the path to having a strong state? You mentioned we need to be prepared because Azerbaijan is the same Azerbaijan; are we preparing?

- Everyone should ask themselves this question. Time will tell. We just need to ensure we do not end up in a situation where it becomes very difficult, or God forbid impossible, to change anything or stop that danger. Therefore, we must unite, take the right steps, understand the situation, and visualize.

- In what situation can such a scenario arise?

- When Azerbaijan achieves its objectives, and the goal of Azerbaijan and Turkey is one: to destroy the Armenian statehood. The threat is very serious.

- Mr. Babayan, in such a situation, how realistic is it to talk about peaceful relations?

- Who does not want peace? If a person is asked whether they want peace, whether they want everything to be good, only someone abnormal could say they do not want that. The question is not about the idea; the question is whether the adversary wants that or not. What do they see as peace, and what do we see?

- The adversary talks to us with preconditions.

- That comes from the fact that there are different perceptions of peace. They see it differently; we see it differently. Azerbaijan’s goal is not just Artsakh; it has never been just Artsakh. Even their terminology showed this in the conflict. If we called it the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, they called it the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. In other words, it is not just about Artsakh. They do not even hide this; they say it is Western Azerbaijan, with Yerevan being the center. Is this not enough?