Issues relating to Artsakh’s fate cannot be settled without its participation: Artsakh president’s spokesperson

Russian political expert Stanislav Tarasov stated in an interview with 168 Zham paper that Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev are going to sign an agreement on Karabakh conflict settlement in June. The expert claimed that according to it, the Armenian side will concede few territories under the pretext of comprises.

He also called those who believe that no new developments will be registered in the conflict settlement process without Artsakh’s participation as “romantics.”

Commenting on the statements of the Russian expert, spokesperson for the President of Artsakh Davit Babayan told Golos Armenia that this information is false and described the signing of such agreement as ‘impossible.’

“First, for the settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Karabakh it is necessary to restore the full format of the negotiations, the Armenian side has many times stated about. The issues directly relating to Artsakh’s fate cannot be settled without its participation. We do not believe in the possibility of such agreement, it is excluded,” Babayan said.

He said that secondly it is inadmissible to perceive ‘compromise’ as just handing territories against illusive promises by Azerbaijan which permanently reviews and changes its approaches like it has happened tens of times.

“Meanwhile, in case of handing territories, Artsakh will not be able to defend itself which will make Armenia vulnerable too. We are two states but our homeland is one. And no one should have illusions that weak Artsakh with elusive and uncertain future will be able to guarantee Armenia’s security and cloudless future, just on the contrary, not having perspectives for future, Artsakh will become a death sentence for Armenian statehood,” he said, adding that Turkey and Azerbaijan have always been frank in their plans and never hided that they want not only Karabakh, but Yerevan and Meghri and in general they want solution to the Armenian Cause.

“The fate of the Armenian people and statehood at this phase is being determined in Artsakh too. We should not forget that Armenia’s geopolitical role and significance as a political factor is being agreed with Armenia-Artsakh ties too,” Babayan said, stressing that the main issue of the current phase is preservation of peace and stability in the region. He also reiterated the position that no developments may be registered in the settlement process in conditions of non-participation of NKR in talks.