Armenia's acceptance of a possible Russian mediation proposal is unlikely, but we are ready to discuss proposals, but past experience has left us with very bad memories, Armenian National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan told reporters Tuesday.

He noted that Armenia has questions that have not yet been answered. As an example, Simonyan cited the reaction within the framework of both the CSTO and the Armenian-Russian treaty to Azerbaijani troops’ invasion of Armenia's sovereign territory. According to him, Russia should have at least taken steps, but Armenia did not even receive a political assessment.

"We were only told that it is not clear where the border is. In these conditions, the Armenian side may be skeptical about the prospects of Russian mediation," the Armenian parliament speaker added.

He emphasized that Russian peacekeepers left Nagorno-Karabakh, where they were supposed to protect Armenians, and blaming Armenia for the fact that this happened after recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan is an attempt to evade (their responsibility - ed.). Alen Simonyan recalled the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the signing of the trilateral statement on November 9, 2020, that Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan.

Simonyan expressed confidence that the whole world, including Russia, knows perfectly well what happened and how they left the Armenian people alone, adding that Russia must make great efforts to convince the Armenian people of its sincerity.

“It is unacceptable to come once every 100 years and make the Armenian people a bargaining chip with slogans about protecting Armenia. We cannot afford such a luxury,” the speaker of the Armenian Parliament emphasized, expressing a conviction that no process in the region takes place without attempts at at least positive or negative intervention by the main players.

“I believe that the allied relations between Azerbaijan and Russia have played and continue to play a very serious role in all recent processes,” Simonyan noted, citing as an example Azerbaijan’s negotiations on specific platforms and consistent rhetoric regarding Armenia.

“The independence and sovereignty of Armenia and Azerbaijan are closely interconnected, and in this regard, the future is in our hands. We have a historic opportunity to resolve the issues once and for all,” concluded the speaker of the Armenian legislature.