Ambassador Tigran Balayan Interview (English and German) to Hetzel Media

27 July, 2020

Interview by HELMUT HETZEL,The Hague

Q: Mr. Ambassador Tigran Balayan, there were artillery shots from Azerbaijan to Armenia in July. How do you assess the current situation between your country Armenia and Azerbaijan?

A: Following the 12 July attempt by the Azerbaijani Armed forces to take control of positions of Armenian forces in the North-East of our state border, the situation quickly deteriorated and turned into exchange of artillery shelling and use of kamikadze drones, targeting of civilian infrastructure, kindergarten, even factory of mouth mask (so much needed in COVID19 times) in Armenia’s Tavush region had to stop working and supplies to other countries.

The attack was not a surprise to Armenia, as Azerbaijan is among few countries in the world that publicly refused to join the UN Secretary General call for a global cease-fire during the COVID pandemic. In the course of recent months, we were constantly bringing the attention of our international partners on rising war mongering, and Anti-Armenian hate-speech in Baku.

One doesn’t need to be a political scientist to understand that all have been done to distract the attention on deepening political, financial, social migration crises in Azerbaijan.

Q: What is the dispute with Azerbaijan about?

A… The war between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), erupted at the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. Azerbaijan started that war in response to the intention of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to reunite with Armenia. In 1921 it was separated from Armenia and given to Azerbaijan by Joseph Stalin.

After losing the war, Azerbaijan asked for a cease-fire, which was established in May 1994 between Azerbaijan and Artsakh. The cease-fire agreement was joined by Armenia as security guarantor for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia bears the responsibility for the security, very physical existential security of 150000 people living in Artsakh, majority of whom are ethnic Armenians.

The conflict that has been going on for three decades seriously damages the border settlements of Armenia and the people living in Artsakh and violates their political, economic, environmental and other rights.

Q: How can this dispute be resolved?

A:…There is a unique format of mediation, mandated by the international community – the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship – consisting of France, Russia and the USA. They act jointly, and are endorsed by the UN, EU and other major international actors. Actually, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is basically the only one, where approaches of those three Permanent members of the UN Security Council coincide.

The Co-chairs has proposed a framework for the solution, based on the principles of international law.

Our stance is crystal clear: there is no military solution to this conflict. The war is not an option, and should be totally and publicly ruled out. We are fully committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in a way that meets the interests of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in equal measure as it is expected for Azerbaijan. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are working intensively to propose a solution, but each time Azerbaijan authorities refuse to accept the proposals, declaring the military option as a potential solution to the conflict.

Armenia is confident that only a compromise-based solution can bring to a peaceful settlement. This has been and remains the commitment of Armenia.

Q: What role does Turkey play in this dispute?

A: … Turkish role is particularly concerning, because we have been observing a very destabilizing role of Turkey in its other neighborhoods – the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East. Now what we are observing is an attempt to export this factor of instability in our region, in the South Caucasus.

The only role Turkey can play in this conflict, is to keep itself as far away as possible. Turkish unilateral, unconditional political, economic and military support of Azerbaijan’s bellicose stance is only complicating the situation.

Q: What role does Russia play? Does Russia Support Armenia?

A:…As a Minsk Group Chair country and bilaterally Russia has been very constructively working over decades with the other two Co-Chairs countries to find an acceptable solution, a compromise-based solution for all the parties concerned – to Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan.

Actually, Russian is the country, which managed to broker truce between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh in 1994, as well the cessation of hostilities after the so-called April Aggression of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh in 2016.

Armenia has an allied relationship and strategic partnership with Russia and we are working extensively on expansion of multifaceted ties with Russia.

At the same time Russia, Israel and a number of other countries continue to sell sophisticated armaments to Azerbaijan, which uses them to target civilians and the civilian instructor. We are voicing alarm over this indicating that countries supplying Azerbaijan with weapons must clearly understand that the use of these weapons against civilians is a crime.

Q: Could the EU act as a mediator in this dispute?

A: … The EU is fully supporting OSCE MInsk Group Co-chairmanship and encourages the sides to engage in negotiations and calls for restraint.

The problem is that the EU and other international organizations always try to keep balance and do not make addressed statements, avoiding to indicate the real initiator-side of the violence. In Baku this is regarded as impunity and encourages further rise of rhetoric and escalation.

The EU has a Special Representative to the Caucasus, an experienced Estonian diplomat, whose mandate includes assisting in conflict resolution, but he is reluctant to visit Nagorno-Karabakh and deliver the EU’s message of peace, and investigate opportunities of EU’s engagement in human rights and humanitarian projects.

This is not good for the EU’s image as the driving force of the human rights system in the world.

Q: … and the United States?

A: … The United States as a Minsk Group Co-Chair country does its best to bring the sides closer to the solution. In contrast to the EU, the US implements several humanitarian projects in Nagorno-Karabakh, financing very important demining projects.

One should perceive clearly that Azerbaijan is to be blamed for the lack of solution to the Karabakh conflict, not the Co-Chairs, Armenia or Artsakh, as the ruling elite in Azerbaijan regards this conflict as the raison d’etre of their rule, suppressing opposition voices, closing independent media and putting civil activists behind the bars, and writing off all the problems to the unresolved conflict with Nagorno-Karabakh.

As long as the international community will continue efforts to keep the imaginable balance and will not call things by their proper names, will have the same situation and constant danger of war, destruction and suffering.

Q: Thank you for the interview.

A: Thank you for this opportunity.

MFA RA
official website

Dual citizenship

Electronic visa

Visa applications