Political confrontation in Yerevan over the opening to Baku over Nagorno-Karabakh

The opposition reacted to the statements by Prime Minister Nikol Passinyan regarding the recognition of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over the disputed territory, in the context of ongoing negotiations. The Socialists called for street protests against the “capitulation.” The Government affirmed that it will protect “the true interests of Armenia”. The next round of official negotiations will take place in Granada in October.

Yerevan () – Following Prime Minister Nikol Passinyan’s statements on the recognition of Nagorno Karabagh as Azerbaijani territory, the leader of the Armenian Socialist Federation “Dashnaktsutyun”, Iskhan Sagatelyan, declared that the opposition “will begin a new stage of struggle, with the objective of replacing the current government.” “We have between 5 and 6 months to stop the process of handing over our country,” he said, that is, before the agreements are closed in October, the date scheduled for the next round of official negotiations in Granada, Spain.

Sagatelián recalled the series of meetings that took place last year in Moscow, Chişinau and Brussels, noting that Pasinian was increasingly exposing himself to the “cession” of Artsakh (Karabakh), using maps and chronological charts of territorial transfers. He believes that the opposition must also “precisely formulate the steps and actions of the struggle, in Armenia and in Artsakh, with protests aimed at demonstrating that all the documents signed in the negotiations with the enemy are invalid.”

The Socialists want to “guarantee the maximum national unity to avoid a new capitulation”, speaking openly of “struggle in the streets” but without indicating, for now, explicit dates for the protests. The government in general is considered “illegitimate” and any initiative to get rid of it “has the value of a revolt, of a gesture of disobedience, because this power leaves us no other option: either surrender or fight for the country.”

The socialist leader affirms that his objective is not “to promote violent actions”, but to “defend the sacred right of the people to rebel against the slavery to which they are subjected”. Another representative of the opposition, the head of the republican party “I have the honour”, Ajk Mamidzanian, also agrees with Sagatelian, and considers that “every second lost is a new loss for the two Armenian states”, namely that of Yerevan and that of Stepanakert. He is confident that the government “ends up resigning, under pressure from the Armenians.”

Already last year the opposition had formed a coordinator known as “Disobedience”, which organized marches and street demonstrations, but could not get Pasinián to resign. Now they want to resume the fight, but in a more organized and effective way, although the majority deputy Artur Ovannisián commented that “given the precedents, we can consider that the opposition has exhausted its resources.”

Ovannisian adds that “no one will prevent anyone’s free expression: we only ask these circles not to create obstacles with their actions to achieve the true interests of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.” Otherwise, he adds, the government will stop the protests “firmly and within the limits of the law.” He confirms that the representatives of the parties that support the government, starting with the Civil Accord Party, also believe that Azerbaijani President Aliev is an “untrustworthy criminal.” But with international support “a long-term peace agreement must be reached as soon as possible, a necessary condition for discussing any aspect of the relationship between states.

The Stepanakert parliament is also pressing against Passinyan and demanding sovereignty over Azerbaijan, as promised by the Civil Agreement in their election campaigns. Ovannisián observes, however, that “the situation has changed a lot and we are constantly informing the population.” In the first place, he adds, it is necessary to guarantee the recognition of the sovereignty “of the 29,800 square kilometers of all of Armenia, with measures that protect the security and rights of all those who live in Artsakh.”

The government assures that “it will be honest with the people” and no secret document will be signed. In the coming days there will be new meetings in Moscow, although the peace agreement has not yet been defined, with the hope that the internal confrontation in Armenia will not degenerate in the meantime.

Photo: Flickr / Clay Gilliland