Those Who Say Talking About Artsakh Could Lead to War Are Incompetent: Vardan Oskanian

It must be noted that the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia has become vulnerable mainly because we lost Artsakh. This was stated by former Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian during a discussion titled 'Challenges Facing the Republic of Armenia and Ways to Overcome Them'.

'For three decades, we lived peacefully because Artsakh and its adjacent territories were an impregnable barrier, but due to erroneous policies, we lost that. We lost our strategic depth, and Armenia has become vulnerable with its borders, as evidenced by the Azerbaijani forces infiltrating Armenian territory, putting four villages in Tavush at risk.'

'The existence of the Artsakh issue in negotiations can also provide depth to the talks. When the authorities of Armenia disregard the depth of negotiations, consider it closed, they think it will guarantee Armenia's security, but that is not the case. The authorities did not understand this since 2018. I do not recall a single episode after 2018 where the Armenian side introduced any question into the agenda based on Armenian interests; they have always discussed the agenda dictated by Azerbaijan,' he said.

According to Oskanian, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's first mistake was abandoning the Madrid Principles and starting negotiations from a 'zero' point. The next mistake was deviating from the content of the November 9 declaration: 'In Prague, when Nikol Pashinyan recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, all our possibilities were closed, and all the mediators' opportunities were exhausted. Today, the real issue is the return of Artsakh Armenians to their settlements. Today, we should not forget the Artsakh issue, and this is not only a moral and national problem but also a way to weaken the vulnerability of the territories.'

'The Artsakh issue must remain on our agenda; we must speak up, so it is not forgotten. And those who try to persuade our people that raising the Artsakh issue endangers Armenia and may lead to war are ignorant and diplomatically incompetent. On the contrary, introducing this issue will contribute to establishing peace in the region,' concluded Vardan Oskanian.