Nothing Moves from Its Place Because Armenia and Azerbaijan Play the Same Note Against Everyone: Zakaryan

The recent provocation by the Azerbaijani side in Artsakh is an extraordinary event, especially in the context of the presence of peacekeepers. This was stated in an interview with NEWS.am by Artak Zakaryan, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.

"The reasons for this fully stem from Armenia's foreign policy. This capitulatory regime, having pierced into the peace process of the Artsakh issue like a wedge, is completely dismantling all logical frameworks and is now trying to see its own benefit in geopolitical trading, which is merely extending the tenure of its infamous rule. Due to their mistakes, whether there are shootings in Artsakh, Jermuk, casualties in Goris, in the villages of Teg and Tavush, they are not concerned; they have long resigned themselves to seeing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, which is the greatest betrayal. They have long been trampling on Armenian interests between the interests of Russia, the USA, the EU, and Iran, creating their own narrative of power," Zakaryan noted.

According to him, the Armenian authorities know full well that losing power for them means being in physical danger. When asked why Azerbaijan is provoking in Artsakh, the member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation said, "They are trying to tell the Armenian people and Artsakh that at any moment that you do not agree, this will happen. Since the authorities have lost trust both in Russia and the USA and in the region, there are no guarantees. Look, the peacekeepers are there, EU observers are here, the USA is calling for peace from morning till night, UN courts are making decisions about opening corridors; all international organizations are calling for the implementation of the disgraceful November 9 document about opening and unblocking the corridor. Nothing moves from its place for a simple reason: Armenia and Azerbaijan are playing the same note against everyone."

Zakaryan stated that the events occurring at the border are a reflection of backstage dealings: "Azerbaijan is behaving as it wishes, and from the Armenian side, portraying the victim means that everything is coordinated in the background. They are only resolving the issue of extending their own power." Addressing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement during the session of the commission investigating the circumstances of the 44-day war, where he questioned why previous presidents did not resolve the issue if they had solutions, Zakaryan responded: "Nikol has no moral right to blame anyone other than himself and his close associates. What does it mean to resolve the conflict? According to Nikol, it seems to mean quickly passing over, but why are the issues of Cyprus and Kosovo still unresolved? What is the solution? Are you in positions to quickly resolve this issue, or should Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Robert Kocharian, and Serzh Sargsyan have understood that a semi-illiterate traitor would come who would make sure these lands are surrendered and then begin to blame them for not resolving the issue in time?"

Commenting on Pashinyan's statement that in 2019 the negotiation process was referred to at a working level as a war conveyor, suggesting that if Artsakh were recognized as part of Azerbaijan, there might not have been a war, Zakaryan said: "That is absurd. That is not called negotiation; only those who try to justify their own guilt after betrayal can say that. Nikol is saying what he needs to say, that is to say what he needs to do to justify his already committed guilt. No, negotiations are not about war. The Minsk Group was also established to prevent war. Negotiations only turn into war when they reach a dead end. When he says conveyor, he is the one who has climbed onto it; no one has pushed him." Addressing Pashinyan's observation that the events of October 27, 1999, are related to the negotiation process, particularly the framework of territorial exchange, Artak Zakaryan replied, "It seems that the threads of October 27 are also the same source of revolution. Until it is clarified who the organizers are, it is difficult to answer that question. If he has information, as the country’s prime minister, let an investigation begin based on the new circumstances that have emerged."