ArmInfo. Armenia may face extinction if the OSCE Minsk Group is dissolved (MG), as Azerbaijan's actions can legitimately expand to Armenian territory. Former Prime Minister Grant Bagratyan announced this during a protest organized by the alternative socio-political movement "Together" outside the RA government, in response to the trials of military-political leadership from Artsakh and other Armenian hostages in Azerbaijan.
Bagratyan emphasized that the existence of the OSCE MG validates the legitimacy of Armenian demands regarding the Artsakh issue. "If the OSCE Minsk Group is dissolved, then Artsakh is Azerbaijan, prompting a question: what were the Armenians doing there?" the politician noted. In this regard, he warned that the dissolution of the Minsk Group would lead to Azerbaijan opening the so-called "Zangezur corridor". He recalled the statement of November 9, 2020, which included a provision for Armenia to provide a transportation route connecting mainland Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhichevan. The politician expressed confusion over Armenia's acceptance of this provision, while the other 8 clauses were violated or not enforced. "How can the ninth clause be agreed upon without addressing the previous eight? There is no legal basis for this. The current government is essentially a branch of the Azerbaijani leadership in Yerevan," the former prime minister lamented. During the protest, Bagratyan also announced the start of continuous rallies from February 20, noting that RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan would be held accountable for his anti-state and anti-national actions.
In turn, Aram Sargsyan, a member of the Coordination Council of the movement and leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia, stressed the need for active protest against the current Armenian government's actions. He pointed out that the current authorities, including the Prime Minister, are not protecting the citizens' interests. Sargsyan said that Pashinyan is doing everything possible for the Armenian people to lose. "The Armenian people should not allow this, as it could result in Armenia being wiped off the geographical map," he said. In this vein, the party leader recalled that Armenia is once again being pressured to make territorial concessions. "Don't assume that everything is resolved. Azerbaijan and Turkey want Syunik and do not hide it. The Armenian people need to recognize this threat and realize that this can lead to the loss of our state: not just Syunik, but all of Armenia," Sargsyan concluded.