The De Facto 'Peace' Between Armenia and Azerbaijan Was Established After the Occupation of Artsakh: Mesrop Arakelyan

Mesrop Arakelyan, co-founder of the 'Country of Living' party, writes: 'The de facto peace that exists between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been established after the depopulation of Artsakh, meaning it has been two years now. Thus, the foundation for the existing peace is not the well-known and unknown documents endlessly discussed by Nikol Pashinyan and his team, but exclusively the occupation of Artsakh. The international community is also well aware that the likelihood of armed confrontation between Armenians and Azeris reached its lowest point after the depopulation of Artsakh, just like in all conflicts when one side wins and achieves its goal, followed by peace. In the same logic, the absence of war after 1994 was based not on any signed document but rather on our crushing victory in the Artsakh war.'

'The core, cause, and aim of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has always been Artsakh. And yes, Nikol Pashinyan is correct — he achieved peace exclusively by closing the Artsakh issue. This process of closing the Artsakh issue began with the closure of the Lachin Corridor and culminated in the complete depopulation of Artsakh. As a result, there has been peace for two years now, which Nikol Pashinyan has no connection with. This kind of 'peace' for Armenia has been paid for with Artsakh and its people, while everything else is a facade, especially the senseless and contentless discussions by the authorities about peace and war.'