When Armenia Aligns Its Direction, the Issue of Artsakh Will Be Determined: Babayan

Former Secretary of the Security Council of Artsakh, Samvel Babayan, stated in an interview with 24news.am that he believes political struggle is necessary but does not want the political landscape to chase phenomena.

“Today, it is four villages, tomorrow four enclaves, then it will be a Constitution, changing the coat of arms, taking it to the international court, solving the issue of the road; we need to make a strategic decision about which direction the Republic of Armenia is heading. Turkey-Caucasus-Central Asia is what the West wants to extract from under Russia and weaken Iran's influence. This is one issue; the second issue is to form a cooperation model between Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Russia. Which path do we choose?”

Babayan suggested making a political decision and going to new elections, emphasizing that parliament members should resign their mandates and present their visions to the public. “When they say West, I ask what that means. Can you define it? It means integrating Turkey, Central Asia, and the entire region economically, politically, and logistically and that Armenia and Georgia will play their roles in all of this,” he explained.

“Right now, we do not know which path we are choosing—whether it is the first or second. We are delineating sections, and I do not participate in this and do not hinder anyone,” he added.

Babayan remarked that there is much talk about the “Megerian enclave,” which he stated is a constructed narrative in the Armenian political sphere, and such an enclave does not exist. “There is a transit route through Megeri, facilitated by the sovereign territory of Armenia, which our neighbor Iran opposes. We talk about a sovereign state, yet our neighbor points out our territory as a red line for them. How is it that we are sovereign, but for another country, our territory is a red line?” he asked rhetorically.

He continued, “If we are heading towards Turkey-Caucasus-Central Asia via Western routes, we must understand how to manage transit issues of the roads in Kaliningrad or elsewhere, and solve the problems.” When asked how the issue of Artsakh should be phrased in the case of new elections, Babayan reiterated, “Again, when the Republic of Armenia aligns its direction, the issue of Artsakh will be determined accordingly.”

According to Babayan, the demarcation process should proceed based on the maps from 1925-26, which marked Armenia's entry into the Soviet Union. “This includes 30,948 square kilometers, meaning the way I came into your house is the way I will leave. We don’t ask Baku whether you agree or not. That’s why I say we should make a political decision and understand in what field we are playing and where we see ourselves, where our future lies,” he said.

In response to a journalist's question about whether he agrees with the demand for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation, Babayan stated, “Yes, the Prime Minister must resign; he should step down so we can go to new elections. I’ve said this since November-December. As for whom I see as a candidate, that is very few; society should form that. They once said about Serzh Sargsyan that there is no one to replace him; now Nikol has been made irreplaceable. Whoever you grab from this street could be a Prime Minister; whoever they take will not do worse. What Pashinyan says, let’s set aside; he is confident he will be re-elected.”