Artsakh Must Convey Clear Messages to Armenia: It Is a Vital Necessity, Viktor Soghomonyan

The President of Azerbaijan has made a serious mistake with his statement, as prior to that, there were people in Russia or in Artsakh willing to cooperate, raising questions now. Viktor Soghomonyan stated this on May 30 during a live broadcast of Alpha Newsroom, commenting on the threats made by the Azerbaijani president on May 28 towards the people of Artsakh and its state officials.

“What did he say? When all these issues are resolved, I will punish everyone who has dealt with the issue of Artsakh’s statehood over the past 30 years. They are separatists, and there should be no trace of them, nor of that statehood,” he recalled.

Referring to the perspective among some of Artsakh's officials that there is a certain indifference in Armenia towards the fate of Artsakh, Soghomonyan reminded that nearly a year ago, all of Yerevan rallied, shouting for Artsakh, while there were a couple of statements from Artsakh indicating that political adventurism was not good and that diplomacy should be pursued. Now, according to him, we have arrived at a point where Aliyev's words imply that those who have worked towards the establishment of Artsakh's statehood should be imprisoned. He posed the question: Are they going to prison for this? Was our diplomacy for this?”

“Those who, before the Azerbaijani president's statement, hoped that maybe something good could come from the current Yerevan-Baku negotiations, now not only have nothing to say, but these people must also engage with new energy in real actions and not occupy themselves with self-deception. We witnessed how on the day of Turkey's presidential elections, Ilham Aliyev did not wait for the official news of his 'big brother' Erdogan's victory and made his brazen ultimatum, revealing all his intentions,” Soghomonyan analyzed.

According to Soghomonyan, Artsakh must maintain an equally intolerant stance and convey that stance through clear messages to the Armenian public, as this step has become a vital necessity in light of Aliyev’s recent threats. Otherwise, the absence of such communications would be very dangerous for Artsakh's fate.

Within the context of the current political discourse, as Azerbaijan has unveiled its agenda, Soghomonyan emphasized that before signing any agreement, it is crucial to clarify the issue of the mandate of the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Artsakh among the Armenian side's demands, particularly to stipulate that their powers should be expanded and the timeline should be renewed immediately, not dependent on Azerbaijan’s will, as stated in the trilateral statement.

Furthermore, in his third observation, Soghomonyan noted that the recognition process of the Armenian Genocide must acquire new content in the current situation. Essentially, if the Aliyev-Erdogan tandem is preparing for a new genocide, we must show that this has already happened once: Turkey is openly assisting Azerbaijan, and Erdogan, who feels imperial, can take any step now.

“The issues related to the Armenian Cause must now be brought back to the forefront. The approach of previously going to the world and stating that such events have occurred must be recognized and condemned must gain new momentum and meaning,” Viktor Soghomonyan emphasized, adding that he intends to present this proposal in various ways to partners in the United States and France, including publicly.