David Babayan: If there is no Artsakh, there will be no Armenia  either

ArmInfo. The situation is such that especially the current realities do not allow Artsakh to get involved in various kinds of speculation or fall under the influence  of certain forces. It is necessary to act solely from our own  national interests. Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan stated  this during a press conference on Facebook on the air of RFE/RL's  Armenian Service when asked what kind of policy the Armenian side  should pursue today, pro-Russian, pro-Western or Russophobic.

At the same time, he expressed bewilderment over the fact that any  Armenian, having examples of the bitter pages of his own history, can  afford to express anti-mood towards other states, and especially  towards Russia.

"Russia and the Russian people are fraternal for us. There are only  two peoples in the world who are able to maintain normal relations  with almost all countries of the world.  These are Armenians and  Jews, because we both have a Diaspora. To have the Diaspora and not  use its potential is stupidity or enmity towards our own people; It  turns out that if we consider the Russian people as brothers, we  should consider the Americans as enemies? ... Again, I think that  having the opportunities of the Diaspora and not using them, it is  either a lack of professionalism or a deviation from our state  policy," the minister said.

At the same time, he urged those who ask such questions to look  carefully at the map, to see who Armenia and Artsakh are surrounded  by, and how it is possible to save what is left of us and only then  speak.  "Therefore, we must have good relations - our future is  seriously endangered. It's time to start thinking soberly! How can we  have bad relations with the United States, where we have a community  of 2 million people, or with Russia, where there are more than 3  million Armenians? Why should we choose between pro-Western or  pro-Russian? We should be pro-Armenian," Babayan said, recalling that  geopolitics is a very complex process and there is no need to get  involved in virtual games.

When asked to comment on Armenia's policy on the issue of Artsakh,  whether Yerevan really manages to enjoy the benefits of the two poles  - the West and Russia, the NKR Foreign Minister expressed his  conviction that this question should not be asked to him.

" But when we talk about Armenia-Artsakh relations, the key issue  should be that we should be able to preserve Artsakh as a value that  the latter has, as a shrine for the Diaspora. One should understand,  if there is no Artsakh, there will be no Armenia either. Everyone  should understand this, I would not want us to realize that when we  are already on the verge of irreversible destruction. Artsakh is  indispensable from a geopolitical and moral point of view," said the  head of the NKR Foreign Ministry, adding that he would not allow  Artsakh to be turned into an object of domestic political speculation  in Armenia.

Babayan once again stressed the need to maintain good, partnership  relations with all the countries with which it is necessary to have  such relations, especially in the countries where there is an  Armenian Diaspora, in order to maintain independence and save our own  people in these difficult conditions.

Pointing to the scarcity of resources for maneuvers and the presence  of red lines, Babayan noted that today the issue of Armenian  statehood is being resolved. When asked to assess the protest actions  in Armenia, the head of the Karabakh Foreign Ministry noted that now  forces will constantly arise that will try to draw Artsakh into this  game, receiving dividends and endangering the NKR, the Armenian  statehood. "Naturally, we are closely following these processes in  Armenia and are obliged to follow, but we do not participate in them,  because we attach too much importance to the moment, the situation.  Because if we do not preserve Artsakh as a shrine, we will be lost,"  Babayan said.   To the remark that it was with these slogans that the Armenian  opposition took to the streets, the NKR Foreign Minister noted that  these are political processes, the opposition has such opportunities.   " According to the RA Constitution, Armenia is a democratic country,  so the processes must be in line with a democratic country," the  Artsakh Foreign Minister said, stressing that there must be  opposition in a democratic country, there must be power, and the  struggle must always continue.  At the same time, Babayan believes  that the Armenian people are facing four key tasks today - Artsakh,  the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the preservation of  Armenian identity and the salvation of Lake Sevan, and there should  be a unified approach around these four issues. He once again pointed  out the negative consequences of the lack of a unified approach on  this issue.  In this vein, the diplomat stressed that the issue of  Artsakh should be in the center of attention, including Armenia, but  this does not mean that the NKR authorities should interfere in these  processes. "We must do everything so that neither the state of  Artsakh nor the state of Armenia interfere in each other's internal  political life," he said.  At the same time, Babayan noted that after  the war of 2020, there was no room for maneuvers, Artsakh had never  had such losses, and there was only one red line left - Artsakh  cannot be part of Azerbaijan.