Armenia needs to get rid of Civil Contract propaganda and oppose growing threats - Arman Tatoyan 

ArmInfo. Armenian experts continue to actively analyze the ultimatum statements of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, made in an interview with local TV channels. 

Thus, the head of the Tatoyan Foundation and former Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan noted that the interview of the Azerbaijani President was a continuation of the previously voiced threats and once again confirmed that the ruling elite in Armenia has put the country under unilateral dictate. "We must break free from the propaganda of the ruling authorities in order to be able to counter the growing threats against Armenia," Tatoyan emphasized.

The head of the foundation expressed confidence that the ruling force is only helping Azerbaijan to implement its aggressive intentions. According to him, the elite of the "Civil Contract" and its leader Nikol Pashinyan are doing everything possible to retain power for at least one day, sacrificing the interests of the state and the security of Armenia. "Therefore, instead of governing the country, they use propaganda to retain power. However, their stay in power is already contrary to the interests of our people and the state.  Due to the priority of maintaining power, they undermine our statehood and weaken the resistance of our people with their persistent actions," the head of the foundation continued. 

At the same time, as Tatoyan explained, authoritarian rule is taking root in Armenia, which is destroying the foundations of statehood. As a result, according to him, serious problems have arisen in the systems of governing the country, protecting human rights and the rule of law, as well as in the management of the Armed Forces and in diplomacy.

In turn, the secretary of the opposition faction "I have the honor" of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Abrahamyan, commenting on Aliyev's statements, recalled that back in the fall of 2016, at a meeting of the Azerbaijani government, the president expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that he was being forced to recognize the independence of Artsakh behind closed doors. In addition, in 2021, about a year after the 44-day war, when Aliyev  visited the occupied Kashatagh region of Artsakh, where he told the audience that if events did not go according to their scenario, this region would remain with Armenia.

"In fact, Aliyev and the main international players directly or  indirectly pointed to the inevitability of the realization of  Artsakh's right to self-determination. However, Pashinyan's  propaganda, in order to justify his loss, continues to convince part of society that Artsakh had already been surrendered after the 1996 OSCE Lisbon Summit," Abrahamyan emphasized.

In this vein, he asked a rhetorical question: "Why doesn't Pashinyan say that if Artsakh was really surrendered in 1996, then why didn't Azerbaijan take it back then, but did it in stages in 2020 and 2023, using military force? And why didn't the third president of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan accept the offer of debates."

Touching upon Aliyev's statements in an interview with local TV  channels, political scientist and co- founder of the Alternative  Projects group Vahe Hovhannisyan, for his part, called on everyone who wants to express their opinion to pause and think about the situation, as well as change their approaches to the fight against the ruling elite. Hovhannisyan emphasized that supporters of the current government and those involved in reforms in the field of education should realize what threats may arise in the future under the current leadership.

In this regard, he emphasized that it is necessary to achieve changes in the public mood as soon as possible in order to preserve the state. The political scientist expressed his conviction that changes in Armenia will occur at the moment when broad sections of society are motivated to demand them, and called for accelerating this process.

"We need to give the Armenian society the opportunity to understand that Aliyev has ruined everyone's holidays and has clearly stated his intentions. Let's allow people to figure out these simple truths themselves. It is necessary for them to understand the difference between "yesterday's omelet" and real power. Let's give educated and progressive circles the opportunity to understand what it means to welcome Trump's actions towards Turkey in Syria and the statement  "Erdogan is my friend, whom I respect very much." Let's leave aside the slogan "let's give up Nagorno-Karabakh and live in peace" and voice the idea "let's give up Syunik and Vayots Dzor and live in peace."

Finally, let's allow those who identify themselves as a national  player during the day and as a supporter of Nikol in the evening to feel shame and anxiety about the current situation," Hovhannisyan concluded.

In an interview with local TV channels on January 7, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev once again gave "advice" to Armenia on how to behave in the current geopolitical situation. Thus, he expressed hope that all of Azerbaijan's conditions regarding the peace treaty would be accepted, advising the Armenian side to carefully weigh everything, including the geopolitical changes in the world. "If Armenia does not need a peace treaty, then we do not need it either. We can live and pursue our policy without signing it," the  Azerbaijani President said.