Tuesday, April 26 2022 16:08

ArmInfo. No one better than the Russian peacekeepers will be able to fulfill these obligations in Nagorno-Karabakh. Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan stated this  during a press conference on Facebook on the air of RFE/RL's Armenian  Service.

So, in order to clarify what is the reason for his assertion that the  presence of peacekeepers from Norway or other countries will untie  the hands of Azerbaijan to violate the ceasefire regime, Babayan  noted that the question is not whether Norway is loved or not loved  in the NKR or Armenia.

" It is important to be realistic. Our future is in danger. And first  of all, those who now live here can lose everything. This is not the  time for practical proposals. Until the peacekeepers from Norway  come, and even the question is whether they will come, whether they  will be able to do anything, whether they will be able to save  something, whether they have experience in maintaining peace! The  Russian Federation has been here for centuries," the head of the  Karabakh Foreign Ministry said.

At the same time, Babayan asked a counter question, what is wrong  with the fact that the Russian Federation is in Nagorno-Karabakh.  "What is the logic that you want the Norwegians? Do you want the best  for Artsakh? If you serve other interests, then we are not in this  game. Nobody better than Russian peacekeepers will be able to fulfill  these obligations. But this does not mean that we are against Norway,  all efforts should be directed to the salvation of Artsakh," the  diplomat said, once again calling for refraining from political  speculation.

When asked about the inability of Russian peacekeepers to stop  Azerbaijani provocations, Babayan asked a counter question: Will not  the Azeris take such steps in the case of the Norwegians as well?

The NKR Foreign Minister drew attention to the fact that all  provocations by Azerbaijan, which are carried out with the support of  Turkey, are directed, including against Russia. "If there were  peacekeepers from other countries, they would have entered  Stepanakert long ago and would have killed everyone. And only the  presence of Russia is a restraining factor," he said, emphasizing  once again that it is the presence of Russian peacekeepers that does  not allow the outbreak of a new large-scale war.

When asked why Artsakh will not hold a referendum and vote for  joining Russia, Babayan stressed that this issue is not on the agenda  today. At the same time, the head of the NKR Foreign Ministry noted  that today the most important thing is not to be part of Azerbaijan.

"I would like to emphasize that neither in the short term nor in the  long term, we will not accept attempts to forcibly annex Artsakh to  Azerbaijan. This is the most important thing and we must build a  development vector on this," he said.

Referring to the statements of the Prime Minister of the Republic of  Armenia about the need to lower the bar on the Karabakh issue, which  is requested by the international community, the Minister drew  attention to the disunity of the international community today and  pointed to the need to be guided by our own national interests.

Speaking about the prospects for the resumption of the activities of  the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Babayan recalled that this is the  only platform where the United States, France and Russia worked  together.

According to him, against the background of the processes around  Ukraine, the activity of the format has been frozen due to  disagreements between Russia and the West, but he expressed hope that  it will be restarted in the future. At the same time, in this vein,  he drew attention to the complexity of the process of dismantling the  format of the OSCE Minsk Group. "The main thing for us now is the  preservation of peace and stability in the region," the diplomat  said.