”I have already answered to all those questions, but I will try to answer one more time. The important thing for me is the image of the country,” said Ghukasyan in response to Professor Socrat Khanyan’s question regarding Ghukasyan running for the third term during a meeting with students and professors of the Artsakh State University after the opening ceremony of the university’s own observatory. Professor Khanyan was sad to say that the intellectuals of Artsakh were hoping that the president would run for the third term, but the latter announced that he has no such intention.
The president said once again that he receives numerous letters and calls from different countries, many people appeal to him and try to explain the need for him to be elected for the third term.
“I thank all those people, but there are things that I just can’t go through. There really are legal grounds, but the moral ground is far more important. I am certain that my resignation probably won’t cause a scandal, but staying will definitely raise the international image of Nagorno-Karabakh,” announced Arkadi Ghukasyan.
He also said that he is not planning on leaving Karabakh regardless of who gets nominated. He mentioned that “the people won’t understand me if I leave Karabakh”. Ghukasyan also remarked that he will stay in Artsakh, help the future president and the government.
“Of course I am not going to oblige my help, but I will help if necessary. Nobody immediately becomes a president; it requires time. I have to be here because there are nuances that need to be transferred,” said the president, emphasizing that he wants to create a new, civilized change of power a tradition in Karabakh.
“My personal interests can not be higher than state interests. That’s the right way. I made that decision for myself a long time ago; not today and not a month ago,” he said.
In response to the question on democratic developments in Karabakh, the president of Karabakh replied that that is one of the most important issues facing the country that can’t end in itself because democracy is the chance for Artsakh to gain international recognition and “the International Community may only recognize a democratic Nagorno-Karabakh”.
The president also discussed the situation in Karabakh before 1999. “You know what the situation was in Nagorno-Karabakh; it was on the verge of becoming an authoritarian country. There was a time when there was anarchy in Karabakh. People killed or raped whomever they wanted to and that was normal; there were no problems because nobody could say anything to these people. All the people who followed me decided to create a system, a country where the citizen does not live in fear. This is the most important thing. I think that we have accomplished a lot. Today, there is no fear in Karabakh, instead we have freedom of speech based on the norms. Today anyone can criticize the president or the government and not be afraid of anything. Not one oppositional force can say that oppositionists are under pressure, murdered, deprived of the freedom of speech, beaten, etc.” (Ghukasyan referred to the time before the assassination attempt on President of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as the “Babayan” period).
“We were on the verge of obliteration and the course taken back in 1999 saved Karabakh from that. We were going to become an authoritarian country and anarchy was going to become a normal phenomenon for everyone…but today we established freedom,” said Ghukasyan.
One of the participants of the meeting was interested in knowing whom the president sees as the next president of Nagorno-Karabakh. Arkadi Ghukasyan did not consider it right to mention any names. He only mentioned that he has his thoughts and ideas, his preferable and non-preferable candidates. “I think that we have achieved great heights. Although we have flaws and errors, however this course of development must continue”.