In response to this question, MP and president of the Armenian Democratic Party Aram G. Sargsyan said: “Not only Russia, but also Iran will be interested. There is no doubt that Iran will use all the possible and impossible resources to make sure that doesn’t happen, otherwise, it will not be able to control the region and it will be isolated. I think it is clear as to what kind of activities there may be in the region.”
Today, when negotiations are still in the process and according to A. Sargsyan the co-presidents of the Minsk group of the European Council are reaching success, it is not by chance that the specialists of the crisis group are talking about stationing the peacemaking troops and they are suggesting a formula where the U.S., France and Russia are not going to have anything to do with all this.
“In that case, it is evident that we are going to have some NATO division and that is the same as having the U.S. What they are really trying to do is keep Russia out of the region,” said the president of the ADP who is against stationing armed forces in the region. “In the best case scenario, we can agree to the presence of one and only one international observer team which will follow up on how the sides are completing the activities that they have come to terms with,” he said. Sargsyan is in favor of solving the problem in a complex way-signing a “peace contract”. “The Karabagh conflict is no longer a local problem, in other words, concerning only the people of Karabagh. It was local back in 1988. Today, the conflict has gotten mixed up and in order to solve it we have to make it more complex. Basically, if we are talking about territories, then we are dealing with the territories under the control of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. In other words, it is impossible to solve the conflict and we are always going to come face to face with other problems. Even if we try to come to terms with the return of the seven territories, it turns out that only Armenia is going to make compromises and lose Karabagh. On the other hand, if we are talking about deciding the status of Karabagh through a referendum in 10-15 years and that the Azeri that had left their territories must come back, what are we going to do with our Armenian refugees”? said A. Sargsyan. He added: “In general, there is no discussion as to how the referendum will be. If it is going to be the same as, for example in 1991, it is clear to see that is just formality. In that case, why are they organizing another referendum? If they have to do a referendum in a new way-with the large population of Azeri refugee families-why do Armenians have to go along with that when it is already clear that that is going to benefit the Azeri?
What A. Sargsyan is not able to understand is the role that Russia plays in the region if it sends peacemaking troops. “The balance in the region will be shifted if that happens. I don’t doubt the fact that China will also play an active role. China will also be oriented in a certain way towards Karabagh. It wasn’t by chance that the “Shanghai” organization took on an important role where Pakistan and Iran are observers and there is a possibility that India will join those two. The three countries, with their massive resources and nuclear weapons, are creating a security sector which may have ambitions in cosmopolitan processes later on,” said the president of the ADP. So, what is a country like Armenia to do with Russia on one side and the U.S. on the other-both telling the people what to do? In response to this, A. Sargsyan said: “In this case, it is best when one makes his own decisions. If we look at it from the national security point of view, has anything changed for the benefit of the West, so that we can get into that system and consider ourselves secure? We either have to make big compromises, or go along like this. In conditions like these, Armenia must be a part of some structure which does not wish to annex the country later on. Armenia must do its best to be enlisted in the “Shanghai” organization because the interests of that organization correspond to our interests, more than any other country’s.”
Sargsyan does not believe that it is already too late to accept new decisions. After all, a decision still has to be made regarding the stationing of peacemaking troops. “It is not too late because first of all, these countries must convince Armenians that that is the best way to implement their programs. The Karabagh conflict is the kind of conflict that is going to be more than the authorities of any country can handle-it doesn’t matter what kind of support it has (forces, “shaved-heads”, or special teams). Nothing can help them escape from solving this problem. The new authorities can change the situation at hand. It will not be a surprise to anyone if we maintain what we have. But if we change the way we look at foreign politics, then that will really be a surprise and there is no telling what kind of consequences we may have. I don’t think Americans don’t understand why Armenians want to see themselves in a collective security system. I don’t see us facing such a danger. But if we change what we have today, then we will really have enemy countries such as Russia, China and Iran.”
As a matter of fact, the president of the ADP considers the gas price increase by our strategic ally Russia as more of an economic issue, rather than a political one. In contrast to others, his questionnaire is for the Armenian government and not Russia. “I am asking all the questions to our government and not the Russians. Russia is simply carrying out its economic policy. Why didn’t Armenians start negotiations earlier, just like the Ukrainians did? Why didn’t they affirm that they really are strategic allies? I am sure that things would be different then. But if you (meaning the Armenian authorities. -L.S.) keep playing games with NATO, isn’t it obvious that it was going to turn out that way? It’s not a kindergarten where they come and say, oh Robert, don’t do that because it is not allowed. Putin is not a director of a kindergarten. Kocharyan must think about the consequences. These days, it is not like you can threaten someone for not doing what you want him to do. If you want to do it, go ahead. It’s up for the Armenians to decide-do they want to separate from each other and go towards West? Go, but be don’t complain about the consequences. It would be naïve to do that and later say “See what Putin did?” What about you? They forget that Russia is no longer Soviet Russia and there is no political bureau. It is totally different now. If you don’t have enough resources, don’t show off. That is why we will keep making mistakes and then we won’t know what to do,” said oppositionist A. Sargsyan.