Tuesday, July 4 2023 13:33

ArmInfo. "If RA Prime Minister  Nikol Pashinyan does not talk about the negotiation process for three  months, empowers me and a group of diplomats, in a few months we will  radically change the situation around Artsakh," former RA Foreign  Minister Vartan Oskanian told reporters after joining the Hayaqve  initiative. 

"If today the authorities cannot ensure an alternative option, they  must gather courage and trust the negotiations to others. I say with  full responsibility that if powers are given to me and a group of  diplomats today, the situation may change within two to three months.  But there are several prerequisites here: these powers must be 100%,  and Pashinyan must remain silent for several months, not say  anything. His speech brought war on us, he must be silent and say  nothing>, said the ex-minister.

According to Oskanian, the new negotiating group should change the  logic and narratives of the negotiations.

Speaking about the Hayaqve initiative, Oskanian pointed out its  exclusivity, thanks to which it will be possible to "commandly stop  Pashinyan's hand so that he does not sign anti-Armenian documents."  <This is a really important initiative, and I hope that our people  will support it, as it will testify to that the Armenian people are  not ready to accept what is being imposed on them. All polls show  that 90% of the population of Armenia is against any option for  Artsakh to be part of Azerbaijan>, Vardan Oskanian said.

He recalled that none of the leaders of Armenia had ever raised the  issue of recognizing Artsakh as part of the territory of Azerbaijan.  "Pashinyan has become the first such leader, and he is even preparing  to sign an appropriate agreement, and everything possible must be  done to prevent this," the ex-minister emphasized, pointing out the  falsity of the prevailing opinion that everything that is happening  today is a requirement of the international community and under its  pressure. This assumption, Oskanian continued, needs to be completely  reconsidered. <Yes, the international community is interested in the  speedy resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but how it should  be resolved is not of particular interest to the international  community. Today, Pashinyan demonstrates the easiest way: to  surrender Karabakh to Azerbaijan, and it is quite natural that the  international community will assist it in every possible way. For  this reason, it is necessary to change this approach>,  the former  head of the Armenian Foreign Ministry noted.

As ArmInfo previously reported, on June 20 the Central Electoral  Commission (CEC) of the Republic of Armenia approved the  petition of  the Hayaqve initiative  group to organize the collection of  signatures of 50,000 signatures and submit a legislative initiative  to the National Assembly. A 60-day period has been set for collecting  signatures - from June 21 to August 19, 2023. The initiative group  filed a corresponding application with the Central Election  Commission of Armenia on June 12, in which it came up with an  initiative to change the legislation, which provided for severe  punishment for refusing self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh and  belittling the significance of the Armenian Genocide.