ArmInfo. There can't be a return to the past in the Karabakh issue, " David Babayan, NKR President's Spokesperson and presidential candidate from the "Artsakh Conservative Party" stated in an interview with ArmInfo's correspondent.
Babayan stated that, in particular, there can be no return to the past in terms of the status and territory of Artsakh, emphasizing that security remains in the first place for the NKR. "Karabakh must again restore its status as a full-fledged party to the negotiations on the Artsakh issue. We need to work in this direction, but certainly it should'nt be considered that restoring a full-fledged format will be an easy task. Azerbaijan will do everything possible to prevent this. This is a very long and laborious process, we should be patient, "he said.
The candidate for presidency of Artsakh touched upon the topic of the so-called "Azerbaijani community of Karabakh" emphasizing that such a state concept does not exist. "This is an artificial concept. It is not a state entity, it is not a party to negotiations, its status has not been recognized by any state, interstate or international organization. That is, the status of the Republic of Artsakh, as a party to the conflict and a party to the negotiations, has been recognized by the international community through the OSCE. And we will never agree to equalize our status with the status of this "community", "Babayan noted.
Touching upon relations with Yerevan, the NKR presidential candidate said that there are people who today say that if they are not in power in Artsakh, a crisis may arise in relations between the two countries. Babayan did not agree with this point of view, emphasizing that no matter who is in power in Armenia and Artsakh, they are obliged to maintain fraternal relations with each other. "We are one homeland, two states. Even if the leaders of Armenia and NKR never knew each other, they are obliged to support each other and be brothers. The most important achievement today is our unity," he stressed.
Babayan also said that relations between the two republics should continue to develop in all directions, as life is very dynamic and does not stand still.
Regarding his election program, the presidential candidate noted that the program is multilateral. "It concerns domestic policy, foreign policy, socio-economic field, defense, environmental sector. We pay special attention to rural development, since we believe that the gene pool of our population is maintained in the village. We are thinking of creating the so-called Red Book of endangered villages. We have villages from which there is an outflow of the population. In some of them over the past half century, the population has decreased 10-fold. We propose that these villages be included in the so-called Red Book and the state will implement a certain policy there. For example, prices for gas, electricity, Internet, water will be very low. It's a tool for reanimation of villages, we will see if we can get the villages out of this difficult situation. If it doesn't work, we will introduce other changes. We attach great importance to creating border strongholds in Artsakh, which differ from the border settlements as such. Take for example the village of Talish. We believe that it cannot be perceived as an ordinary village, because there is a danger that we may lose it. It is located just a kilometer from the Azerbaijani border, it was razed to the ground. In April 2016, villagers were again attacked. Now the state is conducting a large-scale project there again, but Azerbaijan can once again raze all these programs to the ground with one shot. But, if this village receives the status of a stronghold settlement, a kind of support bastion, similar to Cossack villages, the situation will change dramatically. Only the army should be there, and behind this stronghold should be the village of Talish, which, in turn, will help the stronghold>, Babayan said.
He also noted that the "Artsakh Conservative Party" attaches particular importance to environmental safety, foreign and domestic policy. "We believe that Artsakh should continue to strengthen and expand its relations with historical partners, fraternal countries. With Russia, with Iran, with America, with Georgia, with all countries where there is an Armenian community, and with which we have had friendship relations for centuries. Because otherwise we will not be able to resist the challenges, "the presidential candidate emphasized.
Regarding his chances of winning, Babayan said: "We will strive to win. Sometimes I am asked why I have run in elections, whether my chances to win are little. This is similar to a situation when a person goes to war. Does anyone go into the army, only if 100% sure that he will remain alive? After all, he must be prepared for the fact that he can be injured or even killed. If a person is in the army only in the firm belief that he will remain alive, such an army will be incapacitated. We have entered this field without external pressure, without any assistance from outside, without any expectations. Since we have created a political party, we will participate in all the upcoming elections. We have already participated in the elections to local governments, we had two candidates for the Council of Elders and both of them passed in Stepanakert and the village of Sos. We will fight regardless of circumstances, market conditions, surveys and public opinion, "Babayan concluded.
It should be noted that on March 31, 2020, presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in Artsakh.