– Mr. Mailyan, how do you explain the fact that you and Bako Sahakyan were the government candidates for the Nagorno-Karabakh presidential elections?
– There are many government officials who share my opinion that there is a need for serious and radical reforms in the country. There are also conservative government officials who find that there is no need for reforms. The latter, in my opinion, form a minority. By varying the concepts of “rulers” and “state”, it should be argued that there is a candidate of the existing rulers and a representative of the state system. It should also be understood that the essence of the upcoming Nagorno-Karabakh presidential elections is not the confrontation of government and opposition, rather the presence of an alternative approach towards the elections. That alternative is based on the different approaches of the candidates towards the prospect of development of the country and the elections themselves. There are always proponents of the preservation of the inner-political status quo, as well as the many proponents of basic reforms. This is exactly the essence of the alternative approach.
– Why did you decide to run for president at the moment when the Karabakh conflict remains unsettled? Don’t you think that that will be a heavy burden for the future president?
– At this moment, I am ready to take on the responsibilities of the president of Artsakh. In general, I have never been afraid of taking responsibility. Having 15 years of experience working in the foreign/political field, I believe that the country should be governed by a person with enough diplomatic experience. As far as the “heavy burden” is concerned, it doesn’t stand in the way, rather it motivates and obligates. It is exactly the importance of the historical moment that motivated me to take that step.
– How does your presidential platform differ from the platforms of the other candidates and what are the principal differences?
– I am not familiar with the platforms of the other candidates and can only talk about my pre-election platform. The main focus is on the idea of radical and systematic reforms. In the past couple of years, a “record” has been set for talking about democracy in Karabakh, but in many cases it has not been practiced and the mechanisms securing real democracy have not been realized. People are already tired of the meaningless words and speeches. We need real reforms and concrete steps so that the individual can feel it on his skin, and not the so-called “cosmetic reform”, but rather systematic reforms.
– In your opinion, what are the three most important pivotal propositions of your platform?
– Real changes, rule of law, and the international recognition of Artsakh.
– Do you think that the candidates have equal conditions for their pre-election campaigns?
– Unfortunately, no. Whereas before the campaign the “administrative resource” was being used half-undercover, now, during the campaign, everything is out in the open. Illegalities are taking place even via mass media during the campaign. Two serious violations have already been registered – one on the first day of the campaign and the other on the second day, when Public Television broadcasted programs promoting a certain candidate and against me. My pre-election headquarters made a public announcement immediately after the violation. I regret to say that the authorities are pressuring the electorate through administrative levers and that compels us to make certain changes in our strategy. We are sometimes forced to work in the “half-underground” mode in order to not pressure the people; in other words, we put ourselves in the shoes of the people. All of this reminds me of 1988. Everybody remembers what the “preventive” activities of the then leaders led to. The current authorities are irrationally setting their feet on the same “mine”.
I think that the conduct of civilized elections should be a matter of honor for the existing Nagorno-Karabakh authorities. This is an important responsibility for the government that is about to leave, because either way it is going to reflect upon public opinion. The authorities have to understand that these are the elections that are going to condition the reputation of the country in the world along as well as its further development. So, the conduct of civilized elections must be the main issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities that are about to leave.