ArmInfo.The real goal of the Azerbaijan-enforced blockade is political coercion of Artsakh, Ruben Vardanyan, Artsakh State Minister, said in an interview with Meduza.
"We are being forced into recognizing that the Republic of Artsakh does not exist and Artsakh must become part of Azerbaijan. They are not even concealing their goal - President Ilham Aliyev announced all that at his press conference. It is crystal clear. And by means of a stick-and-carrot policy, they are sparing no effort to break down Artsakh's resistance, which is impossible. And it is even much more obvious now, I think," Mr Vardanyan said.
"As I have said a country incapable of ensuring its own people's human rights cannot ensure a national minority's rights. What rights can the despotic Azerbaijani sultanate ensure for its own population?" he added.
All that has happened to the Artsakh people since 1988 [when the Karabakh conflict broke out] has proved that it is an independent area with indigenous ethnic Armenians living here. "The people are living in their own land. In this respect, the territorial integrity principles, as [Russian FM Sergey] Lavrov said, can be perfectly applied only when all the people living in one area can enjoy equal rights. Otherwise, the right to self-determination must dominate - and we have at our disposal a great number of facts of the hatred for Armenians in Azerbaijan's society. We can hardly imagine ways of preserving ourselves or our traditions in a country displaying such intolerance to all the human rights. However hard it may be, Azerbaijan's leaders must find the strength to conduct civilized dialogue with us, and we are ready for that," Mr Vardanyan said.
As to whether Artsakh feels sufficient support on Armenia's part in the context of Armenian Premier Nikol Pashinyan's statement of January 12, which contained a request that the republic should not provoke Baku into hostilities, Mr Vardanyan said that Armenia's premier clearly defined his stance: "It is public: they are willing to provide both financial and legal support - and they are doing so. But they cannot interfere in military matters. Part of Armenia's society is concerned and trying to help. I am grateful to them. Other people are indifferent, but we can see it not only in Armenia, but also throughout the world. The world has become much more indifferent," Mr Vardanyan said.
As to whether he would be "more effective" as a philanthropist than as a government official, Mr Vardanyan said that he is happy in Artsakh despite all the difficulties. "I was perfectly aware of where I was moving - in terms of difficulties. Azerbaijan has always sought to make Artsakh 'unseen and unheard'. But in recent days I have given interviews to ABC, France24, The Economist, Financial Times, Kommersant, RBK, RTVI. And I dare hope that my arrival here will raise global awareness of Artsakh. True, it is not enough for solving the Artsakh problem, but it will at least be better heard of," he said.
As regards public disappointment with the Russian peacekeepers' "inaction," Mr Vardanyan pointed out that Artsakh is being surrounded by Azerbaijan with its 10,000,000-strong population, with 80,000,000 living in Turkey, which is Azerbaijan's ally.
"We are only 120,000 here in Artsakh, with 2,000 Russian soldiers staying with us here. Do you want me to throw a stone at them thereby exacerbating the situation? That is folly as regards the instinct of self- preservation.
"I would prefer to see 20,000 Russian soldiers, and Hindu or European peacekeepers, because the line of contact between Artsakh and Azerbaijan is 540-km-long. A task hard to accomplish for any peacekeepers," Mr Vardanyan said.
"I would like to see not only Russia, but also England and France to take on hard-line stances! What is Aliyev still being invited to Davos? He has laid siege to 120,000 people, but they are shaking his hand in Davos. And in this respect I have many questions to put to many countries.
"Sanctions must be applied against the decision-makers in Azerbaijan rather than against the state itself. Sanctions must be applied against the persons whose children are studying in England and France, against those considering themselves part of the civilized club," Mr Vardanyan said.
An air corridor would be one of the ways of lifting the blockade of Artsakh. Sarajevo and West Berlin in 1947 are examples.
"I view it as the only solution so as international humanitarian organizations state: 'Honorable Mr Alyev, Republic of Azerbaijan, you can do whatever you want, but we are not going to let people starve to death in the 21st century. So airplanes will from now on fly there. You can shoot them down, in which case you are sure to turn into a rogue state,' humanitarian parties from Switzerland, Russia and even from Africa must be able to land in Artsakh," Mr Vardanyan said.
As regards the experts stating Baku is "raising the stakes" prior to signing a peace agreement and not ruling out a new war, Mr Vardanyan believes that it will prove a hard decision for Azerbaijan as it will have to war against civilians. "That would be a war against women, children and old people, beyond all the bounds. I think Baku is perfectly aware of that and is hating the very idea.
"So I think they will focus on squeezing the population out of Artsakh. Difference between our peace model and Aliyev's peace model. We say 'we are living side by side, but not together,' whereas they believe that 'peace is Artsakh without Armenians'," Mr Vardanyan said.
He disagrees with the claims that his movement to Artsakh was the cause for the blockade. Azerbaijan disrupted gas supply to Artsakh last March, captured the village of Parukh and other heights.
"They pursued a salami strategy, and my arrival did not allow them to go on, and, I am sure, made them even angrier," Mr Vardanyan said.
He recalled his involvement in the restoration of a Shushi mosque and in many other projects.
"My son served in the army here and my daughter worked here. I am not a stranger here, so to say," Mr Vardanyan said.
Artsakh's situation is similar to a "fork in the road." "If you ride to the left, you will lose your horse, if you ride to the right, you will lose your head. If we leave we will lose our homeland, and if we agree to live in Azerbaijan, we will lose our identity and pour dignity. We will be part of a state humiliating us and seeking to destroy us and our rights."
As to the Russian-Ukrainian war, Mr Vardanyan said that he is strongly against any wars. "As co-founder of the Aurora Prize I believe the world will be saved if all of us, people of common sense, make the fundamental humanitarian values the basis of our lives again."
He is impressed by the Artsakh people's endurance.
"And it is a great honor to live together with people who outclass all of us due to their endurance. One of the things you come to realize while living in Artsakh is that real people are living here! They have their strong and weak points, but they are able to differentiate between reality and fakes.
"These people are really down to earth and sensible. They are attached to their land and are not going to lose it. And they must never be betrayed," Mr Vardanyan said.