The issue of Shushi has been on the negotiating table since as early as 1996, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared from the podium of the National Assembly, stressing that no settlement would be reached until the issue of Shushi was resolved. The war, in the prime minister’s words, was over Shushi.
“Was Sargsyan going to hand over Shushi? He was not going to hand it over; a war was going to start, and not only Shushi — was he going to hand over a part of Karabakh? There was nothing in any negotiating document about the width of the Lachin corridor; that was to be discussed later. And after this phased approach, another phase has been added — the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, or its current status, was to be decided at a meeting of the Security Council,” said the head of the executive.
Referring to the criticism that followed this statement, asking why the war was not prevented or stopped, Pashinyan insisted that without Shushi it was impossible to stop or prevent the war.
“With my speech yesterday we opened up space for the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh, because through the entire previous negotiating process Armenia and Artsakh had been deprived of political and diplomatic space,” declared Pashinyan, noting that that speech opens the way for preserving the statehood of Armenia and Artsakh.
“Exotic ideas are being voiced. It is being voiced as a threat that if it is not this way or that way, we will drive the people of Karabakh out of Karabakh, or the people of Karabakh will leave. One gets the impression that there are people who dream of the people of Karabakh leaving as soon as possible. No, we say that the people of Karabakh must not leave; the people of Karabakh must live in Karabakh, have rights, freedoms and a status in Karabakh.
The people of Karabakh must be Karabakh Armenians, Artsakh Armenians and Armenians in Karabakh. That is what this is about,” declared Nikol Pashinyan, adding that the soldiers who died in the war died for this, so that a prospect could open up for Karabakh and Armenia.
“And our boys who have fallen, glory to them, they stood for this right, for the possibility of not handing over Karabakh. What I am talking about is about not handing over Karabakh, because if we go down another path, we will hand over Karabakh — take the events of Parukh as an example, piece by piece,” said the head of the executive.
The Prime Minister of Armenia noted that if the negotiating logic left by Serzh Sargsyan had been followed to the end, Karabakh would have been handed over through it.
“Because even if a referendum were to take place, it would have to take place within timeframes agreed between the parties. And Azerbaijan was saying, ‘There will be no referendum for at least the next 50 years; let the Azerbaijanis return to Karabakh, let them live together for 50-100 years, side by side, the Azerbaijani settlements will be populated, and after 50 or 100 years we will see. We do not agree to any other condition,’ said Pashinyan, stressing that with the 98 package-phased package the Armenians had been deprived of space. Through the entire previous negotiating process, in his words, Armenia and Artsakh had been deprived of political and diplomatic space.
“We are opening a road to bring our people out of the status of a sacrificial lamb, a thousand apologies. With yesterday’s speech we are opening space and a road for Armenia and Artsakh; we are opening a road for Armenia and Artsakh to preserve statehood,” said Pashinyan, continuing: “Armenia is a sovereign state, and we must return to ourselves the right to decide things, because we are a country, we are not a stable, we are a country, we are citizens, we are not a sacrificial lamb for various places to decide how and how much to slaughter and forgive us. We are a state, we are a nation, we are sovereign. Yes, we are proud, we are bleeding, but we have self-respect and we will not allow our right to be taken from us.”
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia also stated that we have had nearly a thousand casualties during the declared peace, which means that that is not peace.
At the end of the speech, Nikol Pashinyan called for a minute of silence to honour the memory of all the martyrs.
