New Challenge for Authorities: 'Hraparak'

'Hraparak' reports that the 'Hayastan' faction of the National Assembly, represented by Andranik Tevanian, has introduced a draft statement condemning the 'Shushi Declaration' adopted by Azerbaijan and Turkey. This declaration was signed by the presidents on June 15, 2021, and subsequently ratified by the Turkish parliament. It represents a Turkish-Azerbaijani military-political alliance within the framework of the 'One Nation, Two States' concept, recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan and demanding that the issue of the Armenian Genocide be removed from Armenia's foreign policy agenda and become a topic for historians' discussion.

The draft states that the wording regarding the 'Zangezur corridor' in the declaration indicates that Turkey and Azerbaijan are making public agreements to implement joint expansionist projects. It is noted that this contradicts the statement of November 9, 2020, in which the parties agreed to reduce tensions and operationalize communications.

Notably, the declaration was ratified following what is purportedly a 'peaceful era' between Armenia and Turkey, without preconditions. The opposition believes that the silence from Yerevan is a sign of consent, while the statement would send a message to the Armenian people that the Republic of Armenia will not retreat from its red lines.

The draft has put the ruling Civil Contract party in a difficult dilemma on how to 'dissolve' this sensitive topic without being accused of betrayal while also pleasing the neighbors. It seems that the attempt related to delimitation will be repeated, which was not accepted on the agenda because it contained 'oppositional lexicon', showed distrust towards the legitimate government of Armenia, and weakened the Armenian side's position in negotiations.

For more details, see the newspaper.