The Artsakh issue is not resolved, the issue of the rights of the citizens of Nagorno-Karabakh is not negotiable: Serge Sargsyan

Speech by the third President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Republic of Russia Serge Sargsyan at an international interparty video conference on the topic: “Global challenges of the 21st century: interparty dimension”

Respected Dmitry Anatolyevich,

Dear colleagues,

Ladies & Gentlemen!
First of all, allow me to thank the All-Russian political party “United Russia” and its chairman Mr. Medvedev for such a timely initiative and the opportunity to discuss within the international family of political parties Global challenges, problems and prospects in front of our peoples.

Respected Dmitry Anatolyevich,

I warmly remember all our meetings and, taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate you once again and your political force with a convincing victory in the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

Dear colleagues,

We live in a period when because of the coronavirus pandemic we hold an exam before history and our generations. Millions of citizens of our countries are fighting for their right to live and our government systems must turn to the citizens and prove their effectiveness.

Alas, in this situation, the people of not all countries have got competent, responsible and effective leaders. Before the coronavirus, many countries in the world, including Armenia, were affected by another extremely dangerous virus – the populism virus. I celebrate this with great pain, as my country is still experiencing the heavy consequences of the unharmed management of populist dilatants, and coronavirus was not the only challenge that will be delivered to us.

On September 27, last year, we were subjected to a large-scale aggression by Azerbaijan, which was directly and undisclosedly supported by Turkey and mercenaries from the Middle East. The war in which international law-abiding weapons had catastrophic consequences for my people, taking the lives of thousands of young people, leaving tens of thousands without blood, throwing hundreds of our compatriots into enemy captive oh, most of which Azerbaijan is still, more than a year after the war, holding and torturing in to the Baku prisons.

Taking advantage of the behavior of the weak and populist government in Armenia, as well as the sedition of the interested external forces, which known technology three years ago with specific goals helped their come to power, Azerbaijan and today he is investigating the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, terrorizing civilians of border settlements, provoking military clashes and takes new soldiers into custody.

Armenia has become a country in which political science can study the devastating consequences of the rule of ignorant populists.

The army and the diplomatic corps, three years before the establishment, destroyed by the populist regime, could not resist the Azerbaijani aggression. Once again I confirm that this is not the defeat of our people, but a group of criminally irresponsible demagogues.

We are grateful to the leadership of the Russian Federation for both the efforts made to stop active military operations and for ensuring the safety of the people of Nagorny Karabakh through the deployment of the Peacekeeping Contingent, and call for even stronger It is to stand in positions of compliance with the truce.

I also urge my colleagues to unconditionally defend the approach to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on repeatedly voiced by the co-chairs of the Minsk OSCE Basic Principles Group.

The recent extraordinary elections in Armenia did not appear as the country’s exit from a deep crisis. We have just moved to a new circle of hell, with the ongoing Azerbaijani aggression, this time, on the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia. In the context of recent regional developments and challenges, the vital interests of the Armenian people cannot be ignored, the destructive and unfair consequences of war cannot be considered as a new reality.

We did not come to terms with this situation, and this is not revenge. I would like to once again announce to all participants of this representative conference that the Artsakh issue is not resolved, that the issue of the rights of the citizens of Nagorno-Karabakh is not negotiable, that Armenia should remain a regional sovereign actor and a strategic ally of Russia.

We are witnessing a global reformatization of ethics and philosophy of political processes leading to a crisis of international institutions and the total erosion of international law.

“Technical” shifts also affect the South Caucasus region, which has become “seismically” dangerous in a geopolitical sense. It is accepted to say that the foreign policy of the states has become more rational. In this context, it is necessary to admit that rationality separates from cynicism a fragile line called decency. A crisis of decency, a crisis of morality, a crisis of justice—that is what I consider one of the most important challenges in the current trend of global rethink. For example, it is difficult to explain to the Armenian society why some countries-members of the OCDB welcome and congratulate a non-member country of the OSCB in connection with the military victory held over the country-member of the OCDC.

As the years have passed, I can emphasize with confidence that my decision to join Armenia in the Eurasian Economic Union was correct, that our partners with you, Dmitriy Anatolievich, initiatives on extending the terms of placement of the Russian ones a military base in Armenia and about its expansion of powers, signed in 2010 were true. There is still a great, unrealized potential for cooperation between Armenia and Russia. Unfortunately, the efforts of the current government of Armenia are inadequate, inefficient, and sometimes opposite in this direction.
In conclusion, I want to thank the organizers of the video conference once again for this initiative, wish you good luck, and to the people of our countries peace and health.

Thank you for your cooperation and attention.