The Most Desirable Option for Artsakh is Joining Armenia, Says Gegham Stepanyan

Establishing direct and vertical relations with Russia is not yet under discussion, but it remains one of the possible scenarios. This was stated by Gegham Stepanyan, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, during the NEWS.am program 'FORCE FACTOR'.

'Nothing like this has been decided yet, but the president's statement directly relates to our position that Artsakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan. Besides the clearly defined red line for us, we consider various scenarios probable. Throughout the negotiation process, the issue of recognizing Artsakh's independence has not been on the table, but rather the focus has been on the realization of the right to self-determination. A request has been made to increase the number of troops because the current force of 2,000 is insufficient to deter the recent Azerbaijani aggression. I believe that when the troop deployment was established, it was not properly assessed,' said Stepanyan.

According to the Artsakh Human Rights Defender, today, the only foreign presence in Artsakh is that of Russia, and it is impossible to ignore this fact. 'The guarantor of security is the Russian peacekeeping forces, and one of the key players is the Russian Federation, so it is very logical for the Artsakh authorities to seek to establish communication through various Russian channels to convey our message,' Stepanyan emphasized.

Gegham Stepanyan noted that the most desirable option for Artsakh is joining Armenia; however, that probability has decreased since the 44-day war. 'This was the simplest demand of the 1988 movement. In this regard, nothing has changed in our position, but is it realistic? I think the president's remarks were precisely about the probability; he mentioned it is less likely, without stating that we do not want it. If the probability rises, then of course, it is the most preferred option,' Stepanyan indicated.

He remarked that all scenarios are open for discussion, except for the one suggesting that Artsakh can be part of Azerbaijan in any status. 'If a proposal arises from negotiations that is acceptable to us, we will go down that path.'