Armenian authorities apply populist approaches everywhere, including to Artsakh issue - expert

The Armenian authorities’ statements on Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) are making our approaches increasingly inarticulate, an expert from the analytical center Hayatsk (Outlook) said Wednesday, accusing the current government of populism.

Commenting on Nikol Pashinyan’s speech at the Paris Peace Forum, Hermine Mkhittaryan expressed her criticism of every remark voiced by the prime minister in addressing both the historical realities and the current authorities policy stance (reflecting their willingness to enter into direct negotiations with Azerbaijan).

“The authorities apply populist approaches everywhere, including to the Artsakh issue, whereas the consequences may be irrevocable indeed. Also, Pashinyan’s thesis, [insisting on a] ‘trilaterally acceptable solution’, was a manifestation of populism dominating his speech. This is not the first time the prime minister addresses the issue, and it could have been perceived in the normal light if not the simultaneously voiced statements saying ‘Artsakh is Armenia - period’ or ‘Azerbaijan wants its lands without people’, ” she told Tert.am.  

As a legally sensitive statement, Mkhitaryan called attention to the part of the public speech in which the prime minister addressed the Soviet-time status of Karabakh and its identification with an interim status. “An interim status for Karabakh was defined under the document which we currently have on the negotiating table. That, as suggested by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship, cannot be possibly be a lower status for Artsakh compared to what we have at present. It is normal, in the current circumstances, to identify the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region with an interim status? I don’t think so,” she added.

The expert also questioned the authorities’ willingness to pursue clear positions. “I think we need to adopt a more consistent and balanced stance on the issue to eventually formulate our position and accordingly build our strategic and tactical steps,” she added.