Karen Bekaryan: Neither the RA nor NKR are Those States, Which can be Threatened by War (EXCLUSIVE)

• 05.25.2016, 12:20
•  World,  Armenia,  NKR,  Interview

"Armedia" IAA presents an exclusive interview with the RA National Assembly Deputy, the Chairman of NGO "European Integration," Karen Bekaryan. 

- There is information that the agreement of mutual military assistance between the RA and NKR is ready and currently the right time should be found to sign it. In your opinion, when will that right moment be, and what role and importance  should this  agreement have?

- Of course, we need this agreement in general. Its significance is unequivocal, there are also some issues that need to be brought into regulatory and legal framework. In fact, it's not only and not primarily for us but also for the international community that this very agreement should be signed, and I think that it would be the right moment if we did this during the four-day war or immediately after it. However, it should still be done. Choosing the right time for the agreement to sign is also a matter of political calculation.

- The negotiation process at this stage, according to published information, has not yet entered the political stage, and after the four-day war the confidence-building measures and possible ways of coming to negotiations are being much discussed. According to you, is it possible to pass to the political stage in the nearest future, and how do you see the further development of the negotiation process?

- Armenia and Azerbaijan during the meeting in Vienna gave consent to meet again in June in a mutually convenient place to begin or continue the political process. But here is another question concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. I am still in my opinion that the effectiveness of the negotiations will be under question, if there is no full format of the negotiations. Therefore this issue, I think, given the recent events, the Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will again be on the agenda, but in much tougher manner. But in June, according to the statement, we will witness some kind of process. The effectiveness of that process is surely another question and this will mainly depend on the behavior of the neighboring Azerbaijan: whether it will come to the negotiations with unnecessary maximalism, or will be really ready to normal negotiations.

- In Vienna we saw a high level representation of co-chair countries and determination in their statements to manage this process quickly, but at the same time, we have often stated that one of the main conditions is the objective assessment of the current situation and the addressed statements that we expect from the Co-Chairs. In this stage, according to you, will the Co-Chairs show the necessary political will to make the addressed announcements, or will they take the necessary steps to ensure that the peace process goes forward?

- This question has two parts. In regard to the issue of addressed announcements, we need to divide it into two parts. This kind of announcements are either made in public or just through close diplomacy. The latter was not done by the Co-Chairs. However, I am sure that through dimplomatic means the Co-Chairs have made significantly tougher statements, because I have no doubt that the Co-Chairs are well aware that in April it was Azerbaijan, who provoked war and resorted to adventurism.

As for the political will and the desire of the Co-Chairs, their consistency, then we had similar cases, the most recent one was before the Kazan meeting, when countries were sure that they would achieve something, but Azerbaijan ruined all the plans. And now I will note with regret that all the efforts and enthusiasm of the Co-Chairs are not a sufficient basis for the effective guarantee of the promotion of process.

- Today both in Azerbaijan, and among many experts, there is an attempt to present not starting was as a concession by Azerbaijani to Armenia. How do you assess this, and in your opinion, what are the minimum conditions of Armenia in terms of concessions that are expected from Azerbaijan?

- Here there is an essential violation of negotiations logic for all those who think that not starting war can be viewed as a concession. This thesis has the following axiom - that means that one of the parties is so schizophrenic that its losses do not matter and it tries "to sell" its peace as a concession. This is literally an absurd, and I am sorry that this absurd with devious ways is found among the international community. Thank God, that neither the RA nor NKR are those states, which can be threatened by war, or sell not starting war as "concession." The four-day war and the behavior of the boys protecting the borders are an evidence to this.

As for the effective process of negotiations, it contains the following elements: the first one is the complete peace at the borders, the second one is the willingness of the Republic of Armenia, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan to compromise at the negotiating table under the full format. Another problem is that it is the confidence-building measures that can give positive pace and depth to the effectiveness of the process. You cannot be a proper negotiating party when your high-ranked officials threaten to use force, show a real xenophobia and hatred towards Armenians. In that case it is very hard for other negotiators to be constructive.The third problem is already in the rhetoric. You can not be a normal negotiating party, when your different officials threaten with the use of force, and xenophobia and Armenophobia reach today's level. In this case what patience and will the other negotiators should have, so as not paying attention to all this, try to be constructive. The complex of all this is necessary for effective negotiations.

But currently we have a very aggressive rhetoric by Azerbaijan, which cannot bring any benefit for the effective negotiation. We do not have any confidence building measures and the development of these measures, and  we do not see any element of willingness by Azerbaijan to make a compromise .

Azerbaijan imagines that the possible solution should be restoring the position of 1988, which, of course, is impossible and the impossibility of this understands the whole world. And here involving in self-deception is certainly abnormal. So if we manage to make even a little progress, the negotiations will be productive and will show a positive pace and a light at the end of the tunnel.