It's Hard to Recover: Alen Simonyan Talks to RBC About Overcoming the Consequences of War in Armenia

The President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, provided an exclusive interview to the Russian leading television company RBC during his official visit to Russia. In an extensive conversation with Ilya Doronov, Simonyan discussed the allied nature of Armenian-Russian relations, agreements reached during meetings with high-ranking Russian officials, and steps aimed at establishing peace in the region as well as methods to overcome the aftermath of the 44-day war.

The parliamentary leader emphasized that the Armenian side is not in favor of military solutions, stating that issues should be resolved peacefully. Below are excerpts from the interview with some partial cuts.

"It is very important that the first foreign visit took place in a country that is an ally of the Republic of Armenia, and for me personally, it was very important to come to Moscow first. I believe the visit was entirely successful," said Alen Simonyan, adding that during the meetings, he proposed to pursue concrete solutions to the issues at hand. An agreement was made to discuss positions beforehand on international platforms for more coordinated work.

During the conversation with the President of the National Assembly, the host of the show inquired whether he had addressed the consequences of the war in Armenia. "It is hard to recover when we learn about POWs every day, when relatives are waiting for their children, brothers, husbands. It's very difficult when every month Turkey and Azerbaijan conduct military exercises literally a few kilometers away in the region," emphasized the head of the Armenian Parliament.

Commenting on regional issues and potential contacts with Azerbaijan, the President of the National Assembly stated, "It is extremely difficult to imagine peaceful coexistence of two peoples in a situation where, for example, so-called 'strategist parks' are being constructed in Baku, showcasing mannequins of burning or fallen Armenian soldiers."

Discussions included the events surrounding the November 9 statement and the subsequent period. The President of the Assembly spoke about Azerbaijan's destructive stance and the immediate return of Armenian POWs as well as abducted and missing persons. "Azerbaijani soldiers are on Armenian territory. We proposed to withdraw mirror-like until we clarify the borders with delimitation, but the Azerbaijani side has not done this yet. These are crucial questions alongside the return of POWs," stated Alen Simonyan.

Reference was also made to post-war Armenia and the early parliamentary elections aimed at resolving the political crisis.