The Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Armenia Armen Grigoryan Gave an Interview to Ria Novosti Agency

23 / 04 / 2021

– Your visit to Moscow is scheduled for the next few days. For what purpose are you going to the Russian capital, what meetings are planned, what key issues will be discussed, and are any specific agreements expected following the meetings?

– The visit to Moscow is interconnected with the visit to Dushanbe, during which a meeting of the Committee of the Secretaries of the Security Councils of the CSTO member states is planned, as well as bilateral meetings. It is planned to discuss a wide range of security issues. In the end, we will inform the public about the results.

– How do you see the role of Russia in protecting the external borders of Armenia in the new conditions? Is it necessary to sign new documents or renew the existing agreements?

– I suppose you are aware that the obligations of allied mutual assistance between Armenia and Russia are regulated based on the legal framework both within the CSTO and bilaterally that allows for broad cooperation. To date, we have not encountered any formal restrictions that could hinder the implementation of our joint projects. If we suddenly encounter such obstacles, we will consider the question of concluding new or renewing existing agreements.
As for the protection of the borders, Russia has a significant role as a strategic ally; and we continue to cooperate with Russia in strengthening the security of our borders.

– How effective, in the Armenian side’s opinion, is the activity of the Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh? Does Yerevan seek to prolong the peacekeepers’ presence in the region or to expand it?

– The peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation are carrying out effective activities in Artsakh. At the moment, the peace in Artsakh is maintained due to the presence of the Russian peacekeeping forces. It will be possible to discuss the issue of extending the terms of the peacekeeping force in Artsakh more specifically close to the end of the mandate, but now Azerbaijan does not show any sign that stability in the region is possible without peacekeepers.

– How does Yerevan assess the statements of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who called Zangezur and Yerevan Azerbaijani ‘historical lands’ and threatened to resolve the issue of building the ‘Zangezur corridor’ by force, if the Armenian side refuses to do it voluntarily? Could such anti-Armenian rhetoric lead to a new war in Karabakh?

– Aliyev’s current rhetoric only proves the rightness of the Armenian side’s assertions that the Artsakh issue is an existential issue for both the people of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia. Armenia is capable of defending the territorial integrity of the country on its own and with the help of the allied potential. I would like to emphasize clearly that any statement by Aliyev regarding the Armenian Zangezur radically distorts the well-known statement on the ceasefire.

History has shown us that even in the conditions of almost seventy years of silence the Armenians of Artsakh have never forgotten their rights. They stood up to defend their rights in 1988 and won freedom. Thus, the stability and development of the region are conditioned by the fact of how much the reality reflects historical justice.

– Whose defeat is it to you what happened in Karabakh? Do you expect to regain the lost positions ever?
My principled position is to view the war not as a sprint race, but as a marathon. That is, I think that the war that was named ‘44-day war’, has a background history of decades. In this context, a detailed study is needed to evaluate the results. As for the territories, I think you are aware that the international community has recognized the territory of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) with specific borders and we will do everything through diplomacy to return the occupied territories of the NKAO.

– Some experts linked the development of events in Karabakh with insufficient cooperation between Armenia and Russia. Do you agree? Are you planning to reconsider relations with Moscow?

– The phrase ‘some experts’ is very descriptive. If you look at the dynamics of the Armenian-Russian relations in the last three years, you will see that those experts are deeply mistaken. If we put aside the false news and emotions and try to objectively analyze the Armenian-Russian relations, it will become obvious that Armenia’s foreign policy decisions were in line with the spirit and character of the strategic and allied relations with the Russian Federation. Suffice it to mention Armenia’s participation together with Russia in peacekeeping in the Syrian Arab Republic. By the way, last year Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) published a comprehensive and in-depth study, which assessed the behavior of Russia’s allies. Armenia is one of the most principled and trustworthy countries in terms of allied relations with Russia. Thus, if there is a need to revise our relations, then we do it only in the direction of deepening and development.

– How is the reform of the Armenian army planned after the conflict in Karabakh? Will modern weapons be purchased? Whom from will you buy weapons?

– We have already announced that we will carry out the reforms of the Armenian Armed Forces with the help of Russia. In our opinion, the reforms of the Russian army in the last twenty years are one of the most successful: modernization and optimization of the army, an increase of efficiency, introduction of the automated management system, and modern weapons have helped Russia to continue to have one of the strongest armies in the world. We are convinced that with the help of Russia we will pass this way and build a powerful Armenian army. As for armaments, I will say that we will buy the best weapons, and you know which country is leading in this area. At the same time, we plan to continue to actively develop the military-industrial complex of Armenia.

– What changes are planned to be made to the National Security Strategy of Armenia, taking into account the military actions in Karabakh in the fall of 2020 and the new conditions prevailing in the region?

– At this moment, it is early to talk about a change in the Strategy. Such an opportunity will appear only after the scheduled parliamentary elections. Of course, the war has changed a lot, but a lot has remained the same. In that sense, I think the Strategy has not lost its relevance.

– May Armenia, in the foreseeable future, sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan, and on what terms is Yerevan ready to do so?

– Before talking about the peace agreement, a simple fact must be considered; the Karabakh conflict is not finally resolved. This conflict cannot be resolved using force or the threat of use of force. By resorting to military aggression in September 2020, the Azerbaijani leadership violated one of the three basic principles underlying the peaceful settlement of the conflict; the principle of excluding the use or the threat of use of force. There are principles and their components agreed upon over the years, based on which the settlement of the conflict should take place. In this matter, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are also in solidarity with us, emphasizing in their recent joint statement that the settlement of the conflict should take place “based on principles and elements well known to the parties”.

Aliyev not only denies the objective fact that the conflict is not resolved but also tries to deepen the enmity between the two peoples by all means. For example, when he opens a so-called ‘trophy’ park, makes delusional statements about Zangezur, destroys the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage in the occupied territories of Artsakh, and desecrates not only the graves of the First Artsakh war warriors but also the monuments dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, how can one think about a peace treaty? When Azerbaijan shows a reasonable approach, takes rational steps, and is ready to start a constructive dialogue, then it will be possible to think about a peace agreement.

– There is an opinion in expert circles that Armenia has become an arena of geopolitical struggle. It is believed that the Western, American influence on the political elite has increased. Many think that the Soros Foundation has played a key role. How would you comment that you and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are called pro-Western politicians?

– Recently, experts in Armenia have often been mistaken. Armenia has always positioned itself out of geopolitical conflicts, we have always tried not to become an arena for geopolitical struggle. More and more people talk about the fact that the assessments made about the 2018 revolution were very superficial and that the revolution was not the result of external influence but the consequence of developments and circumstances arising from the domestic corrupt system of the country.
It is important to bear in mind that, in the last three years, two big events happened in Armenia: the revolution and the post-war domestic political processes that the country went through relying exclusively on its internal resources. This is an indicator of Armenia’s sovereignty. I offer you to observe and compare how other countries overcome such processes.

Our political force is neither pro-Western nor pro-Eastern. We are an Armenia-centered force and are guided exclusively by the interests of Armenia. As for ‘Soros’, I would like to note that such statements are already the result of ridiculously stereotyped thinking. Usually, I am not interested in household-level statements, moreover, I do not comment on them, but I hope to close this topic finally. The important thing in politics is to evaluate actions and the above-mentioned report of CAST best shows the reality, exposing the topic of Soros as a propaganda trick aimed at misleading people and disseminated mainly by the order of our political opponents in Armenia and abroad.

– Do you see threats of destabilization in the pre-election and post-election periods in Armenia? To what extent is the country’s political system stable against possible shocks? Is another revolution possible in Armenia?

– Armenia’s political stability is conditioned by free and fair elections and the parliamentary elections of 2018 have created a great resource of stability. That is why we were able to stabilize the difficult post-war period, to prepare for the early parliamentary elections expected in June. The existence of free and fair elections precludes any revolution because it allows the people to express their will through democratic mechanisms, i.e., voting.