Armenian Authorities Requested Direct Negotiations with Azerbaijan, But Artsakh Leadership Boycotted: Samvel Babayan

Following the events of September 19, 2023, the authorities of Artsakh were responsible for its handover. This was stated by Samvel Babayan, former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army and former secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh, during a conversation with journalists after a meeting of the parliamentary inquiry commission.

“The Armenian authorities were unable to do anything because they had no army in Artsakh, no defense. Azerbaijan had also set a stern condition: you cannot interfere in my internal matters. The Armenian government was requesting the Artsakh authorities to engage in direct negotiations, but they boycotted it because they had received instructions from Moscow to do so,” Babayan said.

He emphasized that on November 9, 2020, when Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and then-President of Artsakh Araik Harutyunyan reached an agreement during negotiations, they effectively recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan. Babayan stressed that all political forces that agreed to that document bear political responsibility for what has occurred.

Regarding the question of what he had negotiated with Azerbaijan, Babayan stated that there were no negotiations, only discussions on principles, such as whether Artsakh would have its own army or not. He noted that his representative had conveyed the documents to the presidential administration of Azerbaijan.