What Kind of Statement Is This Anyway? Tatoyan to the Secretary of the Security Council

Former Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan has responded to the statement made by the Secretary of the Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, regarding the absence of conscript military personnel from Armenia in Artsakh since September. Tatoyan wrote:

“It turns out that the Secretary of the Security Council (SSC) announced a few days ago that there are Armenian armed forces units in Artsakh. And he reiterated that there will be no conscript soldiers from Armenia in Artsakh. By what right does this official intervene in such important matters, which do not concern him? By which authority and under what law is he speaking about these issues? This SSC interview is openly anti-state and directed against the interests of Armenia and Artsakh. This official poses another danger to us and presents a gift to the Azerbaijani authorities. It is clear that this anti-state statement from the SSC will be perceived as Armenia's official position, and I am sure he knows that as well.

First, this irresponsible statement implies that Armenia still has armed units (battalions, companies, etc.) in Artsakh. My work in the capacity of the Human Rights Defender clearly demonstrated that there are no units of the Armenian Armed Forces in Artsakh. Only Azerbaijan is promoting this false idea, trying to create artificial grounds for aggression against both Armenia and Artsakh, and the SSC is laying the foundations for this.

The statement of the SSC is a blatant falsehood. What does the issue of whether there are conscripts from Armenia in Artsakh have to do with him? What kind of statement is this anyway? It has already been exploited and served the interests of Azerbaijan. This is a familiar situation: first, through anti-state statements by officials at various levels, they legitimized the criminal presence of Azerbaijani armed personnel near Armenia’s border villages and cities, along roads, endangering the lives of our peaceful population and military personnel, and now they are creating dangers for the entire country and people. Unfortunately, this has become a norm for officials who make such statements with irresponsible, distorted perceptions of their positions and words, unrelated to specific issues.”