Former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Samvel Babayan has issued a statement announcing that he does not aspire to the presidency of Artsakh.
“Soberly assessing the present and future security challenges facing Artsakh, I declare with full responsibility that I do not aspire to the presidency of Artsakh, regardless of constitutional changes, the model of governance, the procedure for electing the president, and so on. And I will not allow my person to be exploited in internal political squabbles,” the statement said.
In Babayan’s view, the initiated constitutional reforms are “mines placed at the foundation of Artsakh’s subjectivity, which, under the conditions of this crisis, will reduce to dust, through a chain reaction, the last remnants of Artsakh.”
“Constitutional changes have no alternative. This is what state-minded thinking dictates. The rest is narrow personal interest disguised as human rights, the seizure of power, and other justifications. I have no rivals, including in the political field. Therefore, before making me a rival to everyone, think about what he and I have to compete over. I am an independent figure who, throughout his entire conscious life, will continue to have one goal and one interest: Armenian Artsakh. What I say, I proved as early as 1999: I deliberately stepped back, placing statehood above political show. I am doing the same today,” Babayan’s statement noted.
