If things continue at this rate, Aliyev will demand more concessions, and, unfortunately, he will receive them. This is what Editor of The California Courier Harut Sassounian said during a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am.
“The results of the elections are the decision of Armenia’s population, and we need to respect the decision of our people. At the same time, a few months before the elections, that is, after the embarrassing defeat in Artsakh, I was hoping that Nikol Pashinyan would have resigned that same day. This scenario would have been the best result for Armenia. I am very concerned about what happened during the months that followed,” he emphasized.
According to him, the person who became the reason for such failures can’t fix what needs to be fixed in domestic and foreign policies in order to eliminate or mitigate the consequences of the war.
However, Pashinyan, as Harut Sassounian stated, remained in power, as a result of which Armenia faces unpleasant surprises in the form of new prisoners of war and Azerbaijan’s seizure of new territories.
“The last time, maps of territories with 97,000 mines were transferred for the return of 15 prisoners of war, and this was a very big mistake that the acting Prime Minister made. Of course, everyone, including the families of the captured servicemen are happy that the latter have returned, but the format is wrong. The trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 states that both sides must exchange prisoners of war under the principle of “all for all”. The statement also states several time limits for the transfer of regions to Azerbaijan, but how was it that Pashinyan didn’t demand specific time limits for the return of prisoners of war? It’s clear what game Aliyev is trying to play. He is gradually releasing captives and demanding new concessions in return and receiving them. In this case, it will take a long time to solve the POWs’ issue. Pashinyan is the one to blame for making a mistake and not stating the time limits for return of POWs. Now, our prisoners of war have been in Baku for eight months. If things continue at this rate, Aliyev will demand more concessions, and, unfortunately, he will receive them,” he added.
Sassounian reminded that no reform has been made in the army eight months after the tremendous human casualties and territorial losses.
“Eight months have passed since the start of the five-year term of the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh. Right after the five-year term ends, the Azerbaijanis will enter Stepanakert since the Armenian side didn’t show its power in neither Artsakh nor Syunik Province. In such conditions, the Armenian side is talking about negotiations and isn’t taking any action. If this continues, both Artsakh and Armenia will face a real threat. If a new leader came to power, it would have at least been possible to prevent new losses and not allow more concessions. It’s not safe to say that there are no smart leaders in Armenia. There is also tremendous human potential in the Diaspora. I don’t want to mention names, but the fact remains that the acting premier of Armenia failed to do anything and led the country to defeat before, during and after the war,” he concluded.
