“There is no serious problem and reason to worry,” said former defense minister of Karabakh Samvel Babayan concerning the conflict of Karabakh during yesterday’s press conference. “We have no reason to worry because it is impossible to do what Azerbaijan wants. No government, be it in Armenia or Karabakh, can ever do that. Thus, we have no reason to worry because there is no person in Armenia who could do that. Accordingly, we have no reason to worry,” said Samvel Babayan. In answer to a journalist’s remark that there were rumors both about returning lands and the status of Karabakh he again said that we had no reason to worry. “It is a fact that the Armenian authorities will give up on seven regions and give to Azerbaijan. This is not a new thing for yesterday or today, it was the same before too. However the question is that will Azerbaijan be satisfied with these seven regions if it takes them or no. No. It is not satisfied, it wants all 12 regions, including Karabakh. This is the problem. That is why I am saying that there is no one, and there can be no one to do that,” he said. What if Azerbaijan is satisfied with these seven regions? “It is already dangerous, however I know that it will not agree with it, that is why I say that there is no reason to worry,” said Samvel Babayan and added that there was no word about compromises because Azerbaijan did not want to compromise. “We can discuss this issue only when Azerbaijan proposes its version of compromises,” he said. As for the recent rumors on starting a war, he said that it might have been military trainings or some tension created by snipers. “Anyway people should not create such chaos. As far as I know, there is no reason to worry in 2009,” he said and added that anyway he thought there could be a danger of war in the near future. “Azerbaijan is trying to solve its problems with the external world and is getting ready for war. This is what I understand. I see a danger of war, and the secret services see that too, they see what is happening in Azerbaijan now. They see what they have bought, what they are doing now and what they are getting prepared for. I am sure, and I am re-affirming that Azerbaijan is moving toward a war,” said Samvel Babayan. He says that Azerbaijan has taken a commitment not to start a war. “We should be ready for this war. Even if it is painful and even if people think that Mr Babayan wants war again. No, Mr Babayan does not want war at all. However we can’t give up on all what we have only for the purpose of escaping from a war. We should be ready for a new war, our army should be ready,” said Samvel Babayan. Is the army ready to resist the attack? In answer to this question Mr Babayan said that we had to ask this question to military officials, and later when asking to another question he said that in case of a new war Azerbaijan would lose. “You can’t win a war with weapons and human resources only, you can win a war with the spirit, brains and good organizing,” he said and added that the inhabited communities of Azerbaijan are several hundred meters far from the current borderline and in case of a war Azerbaijan will have 2 million new refugees. “Later they will have to spend their money received from oil not on the army but on feeding their refugees,” he said. He believes that in order not to have such proposals as we have now, the Armenian government would be better to inhabit the Karabakhi territories, however they failed to do so as they were too lazy. “The Armenian authorities were lazy and did not do that. It is the vice versa, they were trying to show to the world that they are not doing anything and these people are going to live there willingly. The reality is that 490 thousand Armenians, who used to live in the territory of Soviet Azerbaijan, are spread in the world now as a result of our wrong policy,” said Samvel Babayan. If that is the case, we wander why he left Karabakh and came to Armenia. “Because if I stay, I will struggle, because I know that it is wrong there. Then they will say that I am sick of missing the land. That is the reason why I moved to Armenia. Also I know that the policy is made in Yerevan and if you want to have influence, you should have this power here,” said Babayan and added that the most essential thing is the opinion of the Karabakhi people because no one can make them do what they want, even if the government of Karabakh obeys, it’s about the people of Karabakh to decide what they want. “Let’s leave the authorities aside; they are authorities in that building. They don’t have power out of that building. Tomorrow if a villager understands that if the Azeri people come he will lose his home in Kelbajar, it will be very difficult. It’s a village, which has over 70 victims. The same concerns Haterk as well, which has been taken by the people from Kelbajar for several times too. This village that used to have 5 thousand people now has only one thousand. They have a lot of victims. Now look at Yerevan, what do you see? Three thousand soldiers and fighters were killed with the guns in their hands, there were other victims too. It will be hard for their children, for their families. You can’t say that the governments of Karabakh and Armenia have decided and they may do what they want. I assure you that it is not true, it won’t happen. I will stand by those people if they stand against. We will not leave them alone. The problem must be solved through discussion with people. Generally people don’t know what is happening. They are isolated. Other people are speaking instead of them and they don’t know what they are speaking about and what they have decided. The only thing they say is that they will not give up and will not give any lands.” Samvel Babayan says that no political power other than their power has ever openly announced that they are against giving the lands. When journalists asked about Dashnakcutyun party, he said that they had been against only the Armenian-Turkish relations. “I haven’t heard the ARF raise a question concerning the issue of Karabakh. Compromises should be made; it is the same definition everywhere. What does it mean pro-Armenian? You can explain that any decision is pro-Armenian and it is the only one. If this is the case, I haven’t heard such definition on their part,” said Samvel Babayan.
