Samvel Babayan: "I Have Simply Shown on a Map How to Liberate and Close Off That Area"

Samvel Babayan, former Secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh and leader of the "United Fatherland" party, has outlined his strategy regarding the security of Armenia and Artsakh, as well as the resolution of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict. He is confident that implementing this strategy will help the country overcome the current situation.
"We want to implement a clear program, to discuss it, to involve broad segments of society, so that the people understand where we are going, what issues we are solving, and how these issues will be resolved," Babayan stated during a public discussion organized in the Artsakh National Assembly.

Babayan sees a need for constitutional changes in Artsakh, suggesting that the country should return to a semi-presidential governance model, where the Prime Minister will manage the military and economic sectors. "Build a semi-presidential country, place everything under the Prime Minister. In Russia, the following happens: the president appoints the Prime Minister, the parliament approves it, the president dismisses the Prime Minister, and the parliament must approve that he is considered dismissed," Babayan said.

According to him, no one will think about our security except us. "I have informed the authorities of Armenia and Artsakh several times about issues regarding military buildup, military balance, and problems within the armed forces, but they did not listen to me. This defeat has been coming for a long time; in 2013, I wrote a letter stating that Azerbaijan is arming itself, building factories, purchasing new weapons, and creating an army. Stop, let's sit down and discuss what path we choose. We did not do this," he emphasized.

Commenting on the consequences of the 44-day war, the former commander of the Defense Army stated that he was in an advisory position: "I have simply shown on a map how to liberate and close off that area. The military commander decided how to deploy his troops. In other words, the misunderstanding that Babayan decided, Babayan said is misguided; because you are an advisor commissioned by the president to that deep bunker where your headquarters were located. You advise and report to the president in the evening about what is happening and what the situation is like, that's it. Your functions are over after that."
When asked if he tried to discuss the proposed strategy with the former leaders of Artsakh, Babayan replied, "They have nothing to say."