'Army is our sole security guarantor' - diplomat predicts low chances of negotiated deal over Karabakh

Hripsime Hovhannisyan

In an interview with Tert.am, Ambassador Arman Navasardyan dismissed the likelihood of a negotiated deal over Nagorno-Karabakh (Artakh), calling for reliance upon the national army as the only real security guarantor.

Commenting on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's remark ruling out any diplomatic solution at the current stage, Navasardyan noted that he had himself hinted the possibility of such a scenario since the earliest days of the unprovoked war.

"Pashinyan used to say that peace has no alternative. And I say a military deal, i.e. - a war, does not have an alternative. We must give up the principle of peace," he said, warning at the same time against totally abandoning the negotiation process.

According to the diplomat, negotiations should be pursued in parallel with the ongoing war to make the outcome more tangible. "We will turn out a loser should we rely only upon a negotiated settlement, We will lose a lot," he added.

Navasardyan proposed his own solutions as potentially effective tools expected to be of landmark importance. "I propose deep strikes against Azerbaijan. Our security guarantor is our army. That's all we have today. The Armenian army must cross the Mrav mountain pass to reach the Russian border. It will secure us a reliable communication channel with Russia," he said, predicting real chances of controlling the energy carriers stretching from the Middle East to the European continent.

"We are an aggressor for them as it is. Hence the task of our diplomacy should focus on negotiating with them to explain [the importance] of restraining Azerbaijan, including the terrorists. Otherwise, we will have to launch strikes ourselves," he added.

The diplomat said he also expects Russia's positive reaction to the proposed program. "Of course, they will not want us to hit the natural gas pipelines. But they will not be opposed to control either," he said, noting that the plan, if realized, will cut the direct communication between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

As another possible way out, Navasardyan proposed cutting Azerbaijan off water supplies. "In that case, I think, we will liberate the Lowland Artsakh. And certainly, Turkey's large-scale assistance to Azerbaijan would be the next step afterwards. They do not dare to attempt any strike against Armenia, as they know of Russia's possible retaliation. And they are still afraid of Russia which, in turn, would not be willing to launch any strike against Turkey, a NATO member state. But to the best of my understanding. [NATO Secretary General Jens] Stoltenberg hinted in his statement that the North Atlantic Alliance will not opt for confrontation should anything happen," he added,

An important thing for Armenia, the diplomat said, is to give Russia a clear message that Turkey is pursuing a plan to root against its country.  

Navasardyan also stressed the need of "readiness for compromise" in case of renewed negotiations. "But what compromise is possible at all? Azerbaijan and Turkey want the seven [liberated] regions together with Artsakh. They want to expel us from there to leave themselves the chance to determine Artsakh's future status later. Armenia cannot possibly accept that scenario. We are there with our people and our children. It all has to do with our lives. We will either carry this struggle through or cease existing," he added.