Council of Diplomats: Peace achieved through isolation, coercion or  deception is doomed to fail

ArmInfo. The presentation of the results of the trilateral summit held in Washington on August 8  as an important milestone in establishing historical peace, regional  connectivity, and lifting the blockade is greatly exaggerated and is  misleading the Armenian public, as noted in a statement issued by the  Pan-Armenian Council of Diplomats.

According to the source, secret behind-the-scenes agreements have  become the norm for the current authorities of the country, who  consistently ignore the people of Armenia when making decisions of  existential significance. "The so-called TRIPP (Trump Route for  International Peace and Prosperity) initiative contains provisions  that seriously threaten Armenia's strategic independence by exposing  vital infrastructure and transit routes to the influence of foreign  actors. Despite claims that the procedures being implemented will  operate within the framework of Armenia's sovereignty and  jurisdiction, there are legitimate concerns regarding the territorial  integrity and long-term viability of the state. No less misleading is  the claim that the blockade of Armenia will be lifted. Instead of  guaranteeing mutual and sovereign access, the signed document  institutionalizes asymmetric routes and corridor logic that serve the  interests of Azerbaijan. Moreover, this deal not only jeopardizes  Armenia's interests, but also the interests of key regional powers  that have already expressed their doubts. This agreement poses a  threat by potentially create new geopolitical dividing lines and may  lead to new confrontations and conflicts in the future. Forced  coordination of strategic infrastructure without regional consensus  upsets the fragile balance of power in the South Caucasus and  jeopardizes regional security in general," the statement reads.

What is particularly noteworthy, the authors continue, is that  following the  deal, the Armenian government mobilized its entire  propaganda apparatus to mislead the public and conceal the true  nature of the agreement. This deliberate disinformation campaign  demonstrates the authorities' awareness of the devastating  consequences of the deal. If the agreement were truly in the national  interest, there would be no need for manipulation to force the people  to accept it. "At the same time, the international endorsement of the  so-called peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan dangerously ignores  the coercive conditions under which this agreement was reached,  against the backdrop of ongoing threats, occupation and gross  violations of the rights of the Armenian people and the people of  Artsakh. Real peace cannot be imposed by external pressure and  established through injustice. The Pan-Armenian Council of Diplomats  warns that this agreement may pave the way not to peace, but, on the  contrary, to permanent instability and further undermining of  Armenia's sovereignty. 

We are deeply convinced that lasting peace in the region is possible  only when all parties involved, both local and regional, are  sincerely interested in a dignified, inclusive and fair solution. Any  peace built on isolation, coercion or deception is doomed to fail.  Authorities that forget the facts of losing part of their  thousand-year-old homeland, expelling hundreds of thousands of  Armenians, destroying their spiritual and cultural heritage, holding  the leaders of the Armenian people hostage and constantly making  illegal demands on Armenia, issuing any agreement for reaching and  denying the right to voice them in the future are hypocritical and  insulting to our people. We urge the people of Armenia, the Diaspora  and the international community not to succumb to dangerous illusions  and to correctly assess the looming issues surrounding Armenia," the  statement emphasizes.