Security cannot be Armenia’s only priority in Artsakh settlement issue: expert

Security cannot be Armenia’s only priority in Artsakh regulation issue, Hayatsk think tank director Anna Karapetyan told Aysor.am, commenting on the discussion between Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Munich.

“The essence of the Artsakh conflict is being distorted when we are speaking of security only. This is a fight for the implementation of the people’s right to self-determination and the issue of the security has raised as a result of aggressive response of Azerbaijan to the fair fight of Artsakh people for their right to self-determination,” she said, adding that each scenario of the settlement must first of all ensure the implementation of this right, in parallel with it giving solution to the Artsakh people’s security issue.

“The security is very important issue but when the stage by stage settlement is being discussed and the leader of Armenia stresses the security issue only, ignoring the issues of Artsakh status and right to self-determination there is a danger that the settlement process may proceed in unfavorable flow for us. Artsakh may be promised security guarantees and what? Will we agree to this stage by stage settlement with delaying the final regulation of the issue of status with uncertain prospect?” the expert said.

Karapetyan stressed that the stage by stage settlement is unfavorable scenario for Armenia as it may result in the violation of balance of the forces and make Artsakh independence or its uniting with Armenia impossible in future.