After March 12 session of the Security Councils of Armenia and Artsakh, Aysor.am spoke with the head of Revival faction head of Artsakh’s National Assembly Hayk Khanumyan about the results of the session.

– Mr Khanumyan, how do you assess the session of Security Councils of Armenia and Artsakh that took place recently in Stepanakert and qualified by Armenia’s prime minister as unprecedented?

– I think conduction of the session in Stepanakert fits in Pashinyan’s statement on raising Artsakh’s role. I do not see any extraordinary thing in it. As to the statements voiced at the session, we may fix that Pashinyan is consistent in his promise to return Artsakh to the table of negotiations and finds that the format fixed at 1994 Budapest summit must be restored. The current distorted format does not justify itself. It is logical that solution of the issue is possible only if Baku speaks directly with Stepanakert. In general, conflict’s history shows that progress was registered only when Baku and Stepanakert spoke directly.

– Mr Khanumyan, in the recent statement the Minsk Group co-chairs urged the parties to refrain from change of the format but Pashinyan, in fact, insisted on his proposal at the session. Will it result in confrontation, in your opinion?

– The Minsk Group co-chairs say that the change of the format must take place with the consent of all the parties, and they just urged to talk it over with the other party. Probably, Aliyev and Pashinyan will speak about it. At the same time, they also urge Azerbaijan to refrain from blackmailing with war. They are trying to say something to the both parties for balance. It is normal as they are implementing mediation mission which, overall, is a technical work.

– How do you imagine Artsakh’s return to the table of negotiations? By signing a memorandum?

– Frankly speaking, I do not imagine Azerbaijan to agree to it ever. Today the parties are rather far from any resolution option.

– Does the process continue over nothing?

– The parties will try to show that they are ready for negotiations and are constructive. My opinion is that Azerbaijan will never agree to the restoration of the format – Artsakh’s participation. Azerbaijan will not do it, especially today. Armenia, in its turn, may accuse Azerbaijan of being unconstructive.

– So, the issue goes to a deadlock.

– The issue is in the deadlock from the very beginning. There is no resolution to the issue through negotiations due to very different positions of the three parties. Azerbaijan wants everything while we are not ready to concede anything. Consequently, in such case the issue cannot be resolved through negotiations. We must think over solving the issue in our favor. Naturally, the most important issue is resettling the semi-resettled regions as Artsakh’s population has not grown in number due to war and the policy of past 70 years.