“No country can make Armenia return the territories” (video)
Former Minister of Defense Vaghaeshak Harutyunyan today at the meeting with journalists, touching upon the signing of ceasefire agreement 23 years ago, noted, “If that agreement didn’t exist, we wouldn’t have peaceful negotiation process. The Azerbaijani side aimed at reaching what it wasn’t able to reach through military way by political way; that’s return of territories. They didn’t succeed in it, after which they took a break, but, in the end, they weren’t able to refuse that document. It is the legal restrictive factor, which reveals which side violates the ceasefire. The ceasefire agreement is accepted by all the international organizations.” He says that when today’s casualties are discussed, we should note that if there wasn’t that agreement, war would break out, “The adversary acted restrained during April War; it didn’t use long-range weapons, which it had and could use against Stepanakert, it didn’t use Smerch, aviation, yet during the first war Azerbaijan used all kinds of weapons.” In reply to the question whether it is necessary today to discuss, develop the peace project proposed by the RA First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Vagharshak Harutyunyan notes that we should take into account the behavior of the adversary, “Let’s not forget that first Azerbaijan signed then refused the ceasefire agreement, how can we propose it to solve this issue? Is it possible to sit and discuss with Azerbaijan and shift from the ceasefire agreement, move forward and reach the resolution to the issue? Let me cite the words of Heydar Aliyev ‘Karabakh is ours, as well as Yerevan, Meghri and Goris’. Let’s assess objectively, the Armenian side still at that time was ready to cede territories for status, but Azerbaijan wasn’t ready for any concessions. I can state that in the near future Karabakh conflict will not be resolved taking into account the rough stance of Azerbaijan. We should also take into account that no conflict in the world was easily resolved. The issue will be resolved if Azerbaijan decided to change its stance, we should wait for it; in military-political terms we have resolved our issues. Azerbaijan very well realizes that and pins hopes on Co-chairs. By the way, no country can make Armenia return territories.” As for former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan’s moving to the opposition field and losing the election, Vagharshak Harutyunyan said that as formerly, now as well he was against his entering into politics.
