ArmInfo.The statement on the results of the Pashinyan-Putin- Aliyev meeting in Sochi, Russia, as well as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan`s public statements, allows of the conclusion that it has not caused any serious damage to Armenia`s interests, Mikael Hayrapetyan, Chairman of the Conservative Party of Armenia, told ArmInfo.
"I think this very fact is an achievement, as any meeting or statement under the auspices of Russia cannot, in fact, be in Armenia`s interests. As regards thee point on the formation of a trilateral commission for demarcation of the border, we should not be extremely concerned over it. The commission will only slow the process down, while time is on our side," Hayrapetyan said.
According to him, taking advantage of this time, Yerevan will be able to gradually get the border demarcation process out of the trilateral format and have it supervised by more impartial actors - the OSCE Minsk Group, for example. This requires political will, courage and, if necessary, "no" of Armenia`s political leadership - and determination to take up arms to defend Armenia`s borders.
In commenting on the opposition forces` discontent with the Sochi statement, Hayrapetyan expressed regrets that the domestic processes in Armenia have often been coordinated from the outside. As to the protests in Armenia, they, according to him, are actually a chance to show these very external actors the impossibility of making use of Armenia`s interests as a "small coin" by exerting pressure on Yerevan.
"Both the authorities and opposition forces in Armenia should, at last, learn viewing the outer world without Russia, and acting without considering Russia`s interests - but rather, in the interests of Armenia. I am hopeful that both will, if necessary, be able to say 'no' when it comes to the processes crucial for our country`s future. Otherwise, it is they themselves that the external forces will make use of to destabilize the situation in Armenia - with all the ensuing consequences for both us and them," Hayrapetyan said.