Ex-FM: Pashinyan had historic chance to preserve Artsakh`s status as  political entity

ArmInfo. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a historic chance to preserve Artsakh's status as a political entity, but he squandered it due to his hatred of  previous leaders and his inability to make the right choice.

This is how former Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan  responded on Facebook to statements made by Pashinyan during a  campaign in Syunik, stating that "Artsakh was never Armenian, and the  Karabakh movement was the biggest mistake." "Terrifying thoughts were  expressed there, which I don't want to repeat. One wonders how a  person can humiliate themselves so much in front of their own people  for the sake of a 'chair'," Oskanyan stated.

In this regard, the former Armenian Foreign Minister recalled that  since 1992, he had been a member of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiating  group, which he soon headed, and therefore attended all meetings.   According to him, during that period, Azerbaijan never claimed any  control over the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).  "They recognized that this is Armenian territory: this was repeatedly  stated during negotiations in the presence of the OSCE Minsk Group  (OSCE MG) co-chairs by Azerbaijani leaders, both former and current.  They acknowledged that Artsakh was Armenian, including Shushi,"  Oskanyan emphasized.

According to him, the Azerbaijani side only had obstacles in  confirming this fact de jure, arguing that doing so would cause  constitutional problems.

As Oskanyan noted, even current Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev  stated that behind closed doors, the OSCE Minsk Group and the  international community were pressuring him to recognize Artsakh's  independence. "That is, Azerbaijan accepted that this territory was  Armenian. In 2018, Pashinyan had every opportunity to resolve the  Artsakh issue peacefully. Maintaining Artsakh's status as a political  entity would have been possible if the Armenian prime minister had  continued negotiations based on the documents that were on the  negotiating table at the time. Pashinyan had a historic opportunity  then; moreover, he was the only leader who had every chance of  preserving Artsakh," the former Armenian Foreign Minister emphasized.

However, as Oskanyan explained, the Armenian prime minister missed  this opportunity due to his hatred of previous leaders and his  inability to make the right choice. "And as a result, we have what we  have. With his recent speeches, Pashinyan is not so much trying to  convince others of something, but rather himself, since he  understands the harm he has inflicted on the Armenian people. With  these speeches, he is trying to justify himself," the former Armenian  Foreign Minister concluded.

As a reminder, during a campaign in Syunik, Pashinyan stated that the  Karabakh movement was "the biggest mistake" from the start. "They say  we lost lands. But how were these lands ours? Please explain:  were  they ours? I don't want to speak behind the backs of the dead, but  let's put it this way: they were under the control of a few generals  who, for example, sowed wheat there, right? What did it mean that  they were ours? How? Explain: how was that? Did we build a school  there? A kindergarten? A factory? Did we live there? Create a  settlement? What did it mean that they were ours? They weren't ours,"  the Armenian Prime Minister stated.