Main Mission of My Return is Karabakh: Samvel Babayan
“The situation on the Karabakh conflict zone triggers concerns today,” ex-defense minister of Artsakh Samvel Babayan said in an interview with 7.or.am.
He stressed that in 2013, when he was abroad, he wrote a confidential letter to RA President Serzh Sargsyan, warning him of possible military threats by Azerbaijan. However, Babayan hinted that his recommendations remained unheard.
When analyzing the recent developments in the Karabakh conflict zone, Babayan thinks that the Armenian side’s accusations against Russia regarding armaments supply to Azerbaijan are biased: “Russia has never refused to supply Armenia with modern weaponry. Moreover, as a CSTO member, we have had an opportunity to purchase armaments on preferential terms. In the 1990s, both we and Azerbaijan purchased weapons from Russia. We won the war and Baku started complaining that Russia allegedly helped us. This is wrong tactics and, unfortunately, we have also fallen into error today. One should never pin victory hopes on foreign forces, it is first of all necessary to rely on one’s own forces and capacities. Russia has never fought and will never fight in Karabakh instead of us,” Babayan said, stressing that Russia will always strive to develop good relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. It needs both states. However, given Armenia’s CSTO membership and the tense relations between Russia and Turkey, Moscow gives higher priority to the relations with Armenia.
Babayan stresses that in international relations “the policy of the so-called kindness” does not play or cannot play a serious role. “For instance, we liberated Kelbajar, Zangelan, Fizuli without any international “kindness”. Quite the opposite, we did it in defiance of the will of superpowers and international community,” Babayan said.
When asked why Armenia’s authorities failed to purchase the necessary quantity of armaments from Russia, Babayan replied that after the meeting in Kazan in 2011, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan made opposite conclusions. “Before that, Azerbaijan had managed to considerably modernize its arsenal and after the meeting that process got a fresh impetus. The leadership of Armenia, on the contrary, thought that refusing the proposed settlement principles Azerbaijan would find itself in isolation and would not dare to unleash hostilities. At that time, the Armenian authorities made a decision to focus on other problems. Unlike the leadership of Azerbaijan, the political elite of Armenia did not consider security to be a priority before the April war,” Babayan said.
Meanwhile, Babayan thinks that Azerbaijan seeks to destroy the current status quo. “Azerbaijan will not make compromises during the negotiations. It wants everything and we can restrain it only by maintaining the military balance in favor of Armenia,” he said.
Babayan believes that the situation can be improved today, but it would be wrong to think that that there is much time for it. “It will take at least 10 months to completely modernize the army and to raise the management to a qualitatively new level. This also refers purchase of modern weapons and ammunition”, he said. Babayan promises to give more detailed assessment of the April war in near future. While touching upon his upcoming plans, Babayan said he intended to leave for Karabakh as, “My key mission is to be conducted in Artsakh. The rest should be decided by the people”. He stressed that he is not going to join a political force. “But I see people with a new mentality, who can seriously influence the political processes and I hope they will succeed,” Babayan said.
Samvel Babayan is a military, statesman and political figure, Lt. General, Artsakh National Hero. Since 1992 he had been coordinating the defense operations of NKR regions, participated in the development of Shushi liberation operation, participated in international talks for Karabakh conflictsettlement, was the commander of NK Defense Army. He signed the ceasefire treaty of Armenia and NKR with Azerbaijan on behalf of the NKR. He was a member of the government and security council at the NKR President. In 2001, he was accused of organizing assassination attempt on NKR president Arkadi Ghukasyan, which resulted in serious wounds of the Karabakh president, one of his bodyguards and the driver. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was pardoned by President Arkadi Ghukasyan on September 17, 2010 on occasion of the 13th anniversary of the referendum of NKR independence. He founded the Justice opposition bloc in Armenia.
In March 2005, Samvel Babayan said in an interview with RFE/RL Armenian Service that the sides to the conflict are not able to go on big compromises. Specifically, he said, the sides cannot assume the responsibility for mutual concessions. In response to the question which particular concessions Nagorno Karabakh could make, Samvel Babayan said, “It is a fact that Nagorno Karabakh should compromise, return some territories for peace, and peace not just in NKR, but also in the Caucasus, for the future. However, it depends on how high the guarantee of its securitywill be. Some link the security to army, but I don’t think so. Security is connected with these very territories and there are serious issues that should be settled within these frameworks. In this light, the status of Nagorno Karabakh is a secondary issue,” Babayan said. It is necessary to settle the issue of refugees, forced migrants. They should return to their homes and confidence-building problems must be settled politically. As for the possibility of the resumption of military actions, the ex-minister of defense of NKR said, “If the sides fail to settle the conflict peacefully, a war will outbreak sooner or later.” He said steps taken by the Azerbaijani army show that it is getting prepared for war,” Samvel Babayan said.
