"Under Serzh" Artsakh`s right to self-determination was incorporated even in Russia`s most important foreign policy documents - Armen Ashotyan to Armenia`s premier
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"The Nikol-led propaganda machinery is singing the same old song to justify its own diplomatic and military failures. I am speaking of the so-called 'negotiation heritage' of Serzh Sargsyan," Mr Ashotyan writes.
According to him, that heritage was the best solution to the Artsakh conflict (and last January, in Kapan, Nikol Pashinyan himself publicized Serzh Sargsyan's heritage).
He stressed that Armenia's position at the negotiations were consistently shattered, with the army being dissolved; otherwise, the Armenian side would not have suffered a defeat in the 44-day war.
"Now I would like to draw your attention to the points pertinent to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Russia's foreign policy concept of different years. This document is the supreme legal document of Russia's foreign policy, with that state's priorities proceeding from it.
"Thus, the 2013 concept contained a point on a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which not only highlighted the format of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, but also established the principles incorporated in the co-chairs' statements in 2009-2011.
"Secondly, Russia's new foreign policy concept of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement also contained a point which, beside highlighting the co-chairmanship format, established the settlement principles based on the principles incorporated in the five joint statements by the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries," Mr Ashotyan stressed.
The principles provided for international guarantees of the Nagorno-Karabakh people's right to self- determination, and in its foreign policy Russia regarded this right as the basis for settling the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict along with the two other co-chairs.
"And in 2013, Russia's foreign policy concept does not contain the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Summing up, we can state the following: 'under Serzh [Sargsyan]' Artsakh's right to self-determination was incorporated even in Russia's most important foreign policy documents, whereas it is not the case 'under Nikol'," Mr Ashotyan said.
Armenia's premier on Wednesday presented his own interpretation of the documents on Nagorno- Karabakh.
According to him, the problem needs considering from two angles: before the Madrid principles and after them.
"Before the Madrid principles the Armenian side's position was as follows: Nagorno-Karabakh had never been part of independent Azerbaijan and, after the USSR disintegration, Artsakh exercised its right to self- determination by seceding from the USSR along with the other entities as an independent entity, which fact was recorded in the Almaty declaration.
"In 2007, when Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan were Armenia's president and premier respectively, the Madrid principles were formulated, which highlighted both states' territorial integrity and people's right to self-determination. A need was highlighted for specifying Nagorno-Karabakh's status using some mechanisms that would have been agreed on with Azerbaijan as well. Before the Madrid principles it was the USSR that was in question, whereas it is Azerbaijan now. It means that Nagorno-Karabakh needs to be art of Azerbaijan to exercise its right to become a self-determined entity; otherwise, it is not clear how it can become such. This is the real content, which is our major omission," Mr Pashinyan said. So Armenia's authorities fell into a trap they have been unable get out of since 2018.
However, the premier's statement gives rise to many questions. If his statements are true why did Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev complained at a Cabinet meeting back in 2016 that Azerbaijan was being forced into recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh?
"Behind closed doors we are being forced into agreeing to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh. We are not disclosing many details because of diplomatic rules," President Aliyev stated during his speech at a Cabinet meeting that discussed the results of socio-economic development in January-September, 2016, and further programmes.
Moreover, after the military aggression against Artsakh in autumn 2022, Aliyev boasted he had been able to "return the seven districts" and even Shushi, whereas Serzh Sargsyan had never intended to return Qarvachar or Berdzor.