‘922 Days Left for Us’: Why Ruben Vardanyan Made Such a Statement

‘Zhoganouv’ daily reports that many members of the ruling Civil Contract party in the National Assembly were not surprised that no document was signed following the meeting of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on October 31.

The matter is that some lawmakers were aware of a 15-point document proposed by Russia, of which points 14 and 15 were problematic for both sides. Specifically, legislators informed ‘Zhoganouv’ that the 14th point concerned the extension of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh, which Armenia supported while Azerbaijan opposed. The 15th point pertained to the question of Artsakh's self-determination, also opposed by Azerbaijan.

Despite the fact that the Western version also does not resolve the issue of Artsakh's self-determination, the ruling team continues to lean toward the Western option and the normalization of relations with them, cutting ties with Russia, especially in light of Azerbaijan's actions in September and the ensuing neutrality shown by Russia.

At this point, the future of the peacekeepers remains uncertain, and although Pashinyan had stated that he was prepared to sign on the extension issue, that has not occurred.

Here it is worth recalling the words of the future Prime Minister of Artsakh, Ruben Vardanyan, made during the Pan-Armenian Conference: ‘We are in a crisis. We have 922 days left for us; if we do nothing, we will lose Artsakh.’ This specifically refers to the timeline for peacekeepers: in that many days, Russian peacekeepers will withdraw from Artsakh.

Incidentally, today, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will come to parliament, and although the topic is the budget, we have information that there will also be a political speech.