The document signed on November 9 is not a document of surrender, said Edmond Marukyan, chairman of the “Bright Armenia” party and ambassador with special assignments.
“As a lawyer, I say: the document signed on November 9 is not a document of capitulation,” he said.
Marukyan noted that the November 9 document is a document concerning a ceasefire, and whether we want it or not, it has the significance of an international treaty, has had an impact and has been and continues to be applied since its signing.
“We can continue to deceive ourselves, but the president of a co-chairing country of the Minsk Group, Vladimir Putin, says that the international community, within the framework of international law, believes that it is the territory of Azerbaijan,” said Edmond Marukyan, and added that if Vladimir Putin had said that Artsakh is independent or is part of Armenia, or that those regions of Artsakh are part of Artsakh, “I would make a big poster and hang it on the wall of our balcony.”
According to Marukyan, the pre-war and post-war realities are incomparable: “If you do not realize that they are incomparable, then you have not understood what happened either.”
As for the recognition of Artsakh’s independence, Marukyan asked why the previous authorities had not recognized it: “To my knowledge, the April War was stopped in Moscow at the request of our side, and there was an agreement that we would go toward a peaceful settlement, which means the handover of regions,” said Edmond Marukyan, and added, “Let Khachaturov say that it was Azerbaijan that wanted to stop the war.”
“I have said that the opposition is accusing the prime minister of the wrong thing; they should reframe their accusation against him. They should have said: brother, why did you not go for a peaceful settlement? That accusation has a certain legitimacy, but they started saying ‘land-giver,’ ‘one who hands over lands.’ When the previous government handed over to Pashinyan, it knew very well what negotiating package it was bequeathing to him, and it knew by heart that that negotiating package has two paths: either you go for a peaceful settlement and hand over the lands, or there will be war. Knowing all that, they begin to circulate that ‘these people have come to hand over the lands.’
We are all guilty for not having agreed to concessions,” Edmond Marukyan emphasized regarding the 44-day war.
