We Do Not Make Unilateral Concessions: Andranik Kocharyan

We do not make unilateral concessions; we are in the process of establishing state borders, and we have reached the point where the opposing side has accepted the Almaty Declaration which states that administrative borders become state borders. This was stated by Andranik Kocharyan, the Chairman of the Permanent Committee on Defense and Security Affairs of the National Assembly, in an interview with Public Television, addressing the start of the border demarcation process in Tavush.

In response to the counter-argument that territories cannot be ceded from Armenia without a referendum, Kocharyan remarked, ‘It is correct if, according to him, lands were to be given away from Armenia.’

‘This process does not involve ceding even a millimeter of territory from Armenia; it concerns border delimitation and demarcation. The following principle applies: what is ours is ours, and what is theirs is theirs,’ said Kocharyan.

Addressing the claim that Armenia is making unilateral concessions without any concession from Azerbaijan, Kocharyan stated that there is no talk of concessions in this context. ‘The phase of concessions is not here. I assume you are hinting at their armed presence in our sovereign territories, but we still need to address that,’ he added.

‘Commissions were created to clarify the beginning and course of actions; it hasn’t been easy. Negotiations have been ongoing behind closed doors for 8 months. Until now, Azerbaijan did not accept the Almaty Declaration and the process to convert administrative borders into state borders. Now we are beginning demarcation; this needs to be done smoothly, but as you can see, there are many hindering circumstances,’ said Kocharyan.

On April 19, a statement released as a result of the agreement between the border demarcation commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan indicated that if later a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan solidifies other fundamental principles differing from the Alma-Ata Declaration, the Regulations for Demarcation will be adjusted accordingly. Isn’t it the case that the Almaty Declaration is not a firm principle?

‘We will establish the state border in this area, and the next step will be securing the area through border protection forces. After this, we will move along the entire length of the border. Naturally, there will be changes, we will reach sections where there are disputed issues, where Azerbaijani forces are present in our sovereign territory, and negotiations will commence to correctly delineate the borders so that both parties recognize what is theirs and what is ours. It is possible that we will bypass disputed areas and continue, but we are not simply declaring ‘this is ours and that is theirs’; there are numerous legal documents and maps for this,’ Kocharyan noted.