‘If Nikol Pashinyan Were a Skilled Leader, the Country Would Not Be in This Situation Today’ – Oskenyan

Former Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan is confident that if Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had remained true to the context of the statement signed on November 9, 2020, he would not have swayed, made promises in various places, and today Artsakh would be part of Nagorno-Karabakh via the Lachin corridor.

Oskanyan stated this during a live broadcast on his Facebook page. He emphasized that if Nikol Pashinyan were a skilled leader, the country would not be in its current condition.

The former foreign minister noted that the continuous mistakes made by the current Prime Minister since 2018 have led to a major war, but if he had not made the mistakes during that period, today there would be complete control over Nagorno-Karabakh, including Shushi, Hadrut, and other parts.

“If he hadn’t made his next mistake in Prague, recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, we would have Nagorno-Karabakh today. We would have supporters. After the war, France, Russia, and the USA said that a military solution to the issue is unacceptable; this issue is not closed, and the status issue still needs to be discussed. Pashinyan did not listen and went in another direction,” he noted.

The former foreign minister stressed that Pashinyan has gone against historical patterns with his mistakes, as those patterns were in favor of the Armenian side regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

During the live broadcast, Oskanyan also addressed the viewpoint that for 30 years, the Armenian people have been told that Nagorno-Karabakh cannot remain outside Azerbaijan. “I challenge those people: if anyone can show me a statement from a serious leader of a significant country from 1998 until 2020 declaring that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan or that the status issue must be resolved within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, I will apologize to all of you. There is no such thing. The historical patterns were in our favor. The Madrid Document is proof, where the USA, France, and Russia unequivocally stated that the solution to the issue should see the people of Nagorno-Karabakh determine their fate through a referendum,” he said.

Oskanyan also referred to the decree of the President of Artsakh, Samvel Shahramanyan, which states that Artsakh will cease to exist as a state from January 1, 2024. He emphasized that for him, the issue is not closed and cannot be closed.

He highlighted that the tragedy that has befallen the Armenian people has one responsible party, one guilty person: Nikol Pashinyan and his small group. Oskanyan is confident that the wound is still fresh, and its pains will be felt over time.