Armenia has to learn a bitter lesson, politician says

ArmInfo.Armenia has to learn a bitter lesson, draw conclusions and be capable of transforming this bitter experience into success, Tigran Khzmalyan, Chairman of the European Party of Armenia (EPA), said in an interview with ArmInfo. 

"Our party warned about it before the war. We warned about the  threats to our statehood and to Artsakh, with no one listening to us.  So listen to our proposals now, and, may be, we will save what we can  save now. All that is going on in Artsakh now was predictable years  ago. And if anyone is shocked at the Azerbaijani provocations and  aggression as if it were something new, I am only regretful about  that," Mr Khazmalyan said.  The shock some part of Armenia's society  got at the Azerbaijani and Russian actions against the Artsakh  Armenians is evidence that Armenia's civil society and political  parties have never come to realize what has happened to Armenia and  Artsakh over the last 25 years. Nor any conclusions were drawn even  after the 44-day Azerbaijani aggression, which can only cause regret  about the Armenians.  

As regards the situation round the village of Parukh in Artsakh, Mr  Khzmalyan describes it as a logical follow-up to the actions against  Armenia and Artsakh over the last decades as a result of Russia's  agreements with Azerbaijan and Turkey. However, they will not be able  to implement their agreements, even with Armenia being weak and  isolated now.  "I am sure that, besides our enemies' plans, the  civilized world has its own ideas and programmes, which concern  Armenia as well. And if we do not make further fatal mistakes, we  will retain Armenia's sovereignty. Moreover, we could well save  Artsakh," Mr Khzmalyan said.  

Commenting on Yerevan's steps in the context of the present situation  in Artsakh, the politician said they are in line with what the EPA  has been consistently stating over the last few years. In this  context, Mr Khzmalyan singled out the applications to the OSCE Minsk  Group co-chairs being prepared now, which the mediators had expected  both before and after the 44-day war. 

"I remember well that only recently Stepanakert refused to meet even  with the U.S. and French co-chairs.  And now they have suddenly  remembered that such meetings and discussions are an urgent need. But  the point is that they re doing so after committing numerous fatal  mistakes and at a great cost. Moreover, the example of the village of  Parukh shows us that we are still paying. Yerevan has realized that  it is time to correct the mistakes, and the visits to and meetings in  Brussels, Paris and Washington are evidence thereof.  So let us wait  for the results," Mr Khazmalyan said.