If we look at the position of Azerbaijan, the pressures of the international community and the position and actions of the RA authorities, it is not realistic for the people of Artsakh to return to their homes at this time. Former Minister of State of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan said this in a conversation with Forrights.am.
“The main actor is the RA government, which should constantly raise the issue of the return of Artsakh citizens and discuss its conditions with clear instruments and in contacts with Azerbaijan, in international processes. If there is political will and consistent professional work on the part of the RA authorities, under geopolitical conditions, it will be possible to return the people of Artsakh to their homeland.”
Artak Beglaryan believes that guarantees can ensure the UN mission without the presence of the Azerbaijani government. The former official of Artsakh does not see enough action from the RA authorities towards the return.
It should be noted that Nikol Pashinyan regularly, and most recently during the session of the RA government held on November 23, declares that “if the people of Artsakh do not want to return to Artsakh, then we must do everything to make them stay in RA.” This statement of the Prime Minister of RA creates the impression that all the conditions to go to Artsakh and live there safely are there and there only remains the choice to go or not.
“This is the approach of the authorities; they lowered the right of return to the individual level: that each person should decide for himself whether the conditions offered by Azerbaijan are acceptable for him or not. But we emigrated from there as a people, we were targeted as a people and were harassed and persecuted for the protection of collective rights of our people, for self-determination,” said Artak Beglaryan.
“The community’s collective identity and the resulting long-term struggle to return to Artsakh must be preserved. But the RA government’s approach is to dissolve the people of Artsakh in RA, which will very quickly close the rights of self-determination and return. The RA authorities under the leadership of Nikol Pashinyan should not desist from taking responsibility for the negotiations on the rights of the people of Artsakh.”
“They do not want the state bodies of Artsakh to act, there is a tendency that they do not want to negotiate with Azerbaijan for the rights of the people of Artsakh. In that case, the question arises: who should protect the rights of our people, who should raise these issues on relevant international platforms, if the RA authorities do not do it and do not allow the Artsakh authorities to exist?” said Artak Beglaryan. According to him, we must accept the fact that there is a government in exile.
The former State Minister of Artsakh considers the negotiations between the authorities of Armenia and Artsakh to be important, which, however, is not happening. There is no information about the meeting between Nikol Pashinyan and Samvel Shahramyan.
Narek Kirakosyan