We Have Two Things to Do: Negotiations Yield No Results, Says Artsakh President

The President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, responding to questions from parliament members, spoke about why it is necessary not to accept Azerbaijan's offer and to go to Baku for negotiations.

“Baku is discussing only one issue with us—integration, and they are not discussing a second issue. From various places, people say, 'let’s go, let’s convince them.' I have tried, friends, for two years. If anyone thinks that I have been a poor negotiator, [then] at the last stage, I did not negotiate, I did not go,” said Harutyunyan, as reported by CivilNet.

He noted that “these negotiations yield no results because in the end, they come and say, ‘this is our goal.’”

“They are not only telling us; they are stating that agenda in the UN, they mentioned it yesterday and today during the Blinken-Mirzoyan-Bayramov meeting. Azerbaijan tells us that the first point is to dissolve the defense army. We should dissolve it and then go to the meeting. Let me explain the sequence: you go and announce that you have dissolved the army, you dissolve the state administration system. They barely create mechanisms for community elections, after which they will give gas, they will give electricity, and they will allow you to travel freely. And it is clear how they will allow you— as a citizen of Azerbaijan. I am not against negotiations; I am not against meetings. I have been the most supportive, and I have conducted the most meetings. We must understand that we will face challenges; all of this is surmountable, people, we have two things to do—self-defense and increasing resilience. In this regard, what have we done and what should we do, if there is a desire, we will discuss separately,” said the President of Artsakh.

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