The proposal to lower the bar on the status of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was not voiced by one person. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, stated about this on Public TV, answering the program host's question as to who is that “international community” that makes such proposals, and what the security guarantees are if that bar is lowered.
"At the moment I cannot say specific names… It was not a proposal from one person; many partners have talked to us about this. But when you ask about security guarantees, we must form security guarantees during the negotiations. It is not that they said that ‘if you lower that bar, these are the security guarantees.’ Within the framework of negotiations with Azerbaijan, as well as thanks to the support of the international community, we will create those security guarantees. If there are no security guarantees, we naturally will not move there; the existing status quo will be maintained," Grigoryan said.
The host noted that he assumes that a peace agreement will be signed, which will become that guarantee, but Azerbaijan has repeatedly proved that it violates any agreement, does not keep the agreements even with Russia, and considering this, he asked what the Armenian authorities expect. In response, Armen Grigoryan said that not only the agreement but also the mechanisms are a guarantee. According to him, for example, in the November 9, 2020 statement, not only the text is the guarantees, but also the mechanisms, for example, the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the region.
"(…) our region is under the strong influence of global, international structures. And seeing these changes, we try to find security guarantees so that we can ensure security in Artsakh and find mechanisms. These mechanisms are not just treaties or the treaty, but mechanisms that exist on the ground; for example, with the option of peacekeepers…we expect that they will be there for a long time until we find a solution. But the incidents of Parukh [village] show that these security mechanisms also are not enough to ensure complete security. We want to receive additional guarantees that security will be ensured in Artsakh," he said.
And to the host's question whether he means other troops, Armen Grigoryan gave a negative answer, adding that it is necessary to find those mechanisms, and one of the issues on the agenda is to find the mechanisms that will guarantee security and the exercising of rights for the people living in Artsakh.
