Important Documents from Levon Ter-Petrosyan's Archive Published

Important documents from Levon Ter-Petrosyan's archive have been published. This is presented by iLur.am: The occasion for this publication is Vahram Atanesyan's Facebook post today: 'To the masked and unmasked participants of the Armenian political farce: stop the theatrics and the lamentations! After the April War, you all knew that a war could start at any moment, and the outcome would be tragic; yet you remained pharisaically silent. The only one who called for sobriety to the people and the authorities was the first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan. You all made sure that the Armenian National Congress was not represented in the National Assembly in 2017. The same happened during the last election campaign, when you all opposed rationality, pragmatism, and state dignity. Therefore, the saying 'shade your share of grass until dawn breaks' is about you.'

It should be noted, however, that Ter-Petrosyan voiced concerns about the dangerous developments threatening Nagorno-Karabakh even around six months before the April war, in an article published on November 26, 2015, titled 'The Constitutional Referendum—a Gamble With Unpredictable Consequences,' which states: 'After a twenty-five-year hiatus, the world today is entering a new phase of the Cold War, and one of its focal points will again be the Middle Eastern region. The signs of this are already apparent. By getting actively involved in the whirlpool of events in Syria and tightening relations with Iran, Russia is revealing its long-term strategic interests in the region. In such a case, it is clear that, to secure its rear, it will soon take serious steps to strengthen its positions in regions bordering the Middle East.'

Among these regions, perhaps the most significant is the South Caucasus, the resolution of the Karabakh issue and the regulation of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations will be prioritized by Russia. The recent visits of Lavrov to Baku and Yerevan testify to this. This matter does not concern imposing a new plan on the Karabakh issue by Russia but rather revitalizing a program constructed on the basis of the Madrid principles through the efforts of the Minsk Group co-chairmanship.

In any case, Armenia is facing serious challenges that require complete national unity and maximum strengthening of statehood to confront. Instead, as we have seen, the regime is engulfed in the crazy frenzy of forcibly imposing a new constitution on the people, which can only be termed extreme irresponsibility or adventurism. Moreover, the provision concerning the dismissal of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in a de facto state of war cannot make sense in any reasonable person's mind. I am confident that Serzh Sargsyan is perhaps the only person in the Armenian power system who clearly understands the dangers posed by the current geopolitical situation surrounding our country. For this reason, I still cherish hope that he, demonstrating state thinking, can at least temporarily suspend the process of adopting the new constitution; and if that is no longer possible, at least abandon the idea of falsifying the results of the referendum at all costs, which would further deepen the gap between the regime and society.

The state figure should never be guided by the category of honor (tasib). There are moments related to the fate of the country when retreating from one’s decision is more honorable than persistence. Today is indeed one of those crucial moments, as the referendum is truly fraught with unpredictable consequences threatening Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The article was already prepared when the news arrived of the Turkish air force destroying a Russian plane, which serves as proof of the dangerous complications that await on the Middle Eastern stage of the renewed Cold War sparked by the events in Ukraine and Syria—complications that, unfortunately, cannot bypass Armenia. Under such circumstances, holding a constitutional referendum is indistinguishable from revelry in the midst of a plague.

President Ter-Petrosyan was so concerned about such developments that, not content with this publication, he sent the following letter to the President of the Constitutional Court, Gagik Harutyunyan, two days later: '28.11.2015 Gagik Harutyunyan. Gagik, I am sure you have read my November 26 article carefully, which is why I don't want to repeat my concerns expressed therein. I hope you do not doubt that they are sincere and do not pursue any political interests. However, I find it necessary to inform you that I have remained silent about some other dangers contained in the situation, in order to avoid causing panic and to prevent negative sentiments towards Russia. Among these, I would single out the following three: 1. In the event of heightened international tension and escalation in the Middle East, Russia will be forced to strengthen its military base in Armenia and also participate from here in the military actions taking place in Syria and Iraq; 2. This means that Armenia and its foreign diplomatic representations will be viewed by anti-Russian forces as hostile territory, becoming one of the targets of Islamic terrorism; 3. Russia will seek to secure its military presence in Azerbaijan as well, which, similar to the situation in 1920-21, can only happen if the Karabakh issue is resolved favorably for it. As I mentioned in my article, I have no doubt that Serzh is fully aware of these dangers. Moreover, he understands the situation much better than I do, since he is much better informed due to his position. As for his circle, besides you, I do not see anyone who can seriously consult with him on these issues. Therefore, I request you to draw his attention to the advisability of postponing the referendum (I emphasize—postponing, not cancelling), which I believe is easily justifiable and a great solution to the current inconvenient internal tension. I am confident that this step will not be seen as a sign of weakness from the authorities but, on the contrary, as a manifestation of rationality. In any case, I will do everything to ensure that it is not viewed differently.' Levon Ter-Petrosyan. P.S. You can show my letter to Serzh.'

A few days later, Gagik Harutyunyan's response letter was received: 'Levon, greetings. I spoke with him. Serzh has also familiarized himself with the letter. Your concerns are justified. However, postponement of the referendum is no longer legally possible. The dangerous developments of internal tension have two causes. Firstly, due to political and various influences; secondly, potential objective unrest caused by serious and organized illegalities during the referendum. The president also believes that both circumstances need to be excluded and values your role (in terms of the first circumstance). He also values that the referendum should not take place ‘at all costs’ and practically needs to achieve its exclusion. This has been voiced in my presence. This is his clear stance.' Gagik Harutyunyan, 01.12.2015.

The copies of the letters have been provided to the editorial office by the archive of the first president of Armenia.