ArmInfo. No one better than the Russian peacekeepers will be able to fulfill these obligations in Nagorno-Karabakh. Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan stated this during a press conference on Facebook on the air of RFE/RL's Armenian Service.
So, in order to clarify what is the reason for his assertion that the presence of peacekeepers from Norway or other countries will untie the hands of Azerbaijan to violate the ceasefire regime, Babayan noted that the question is not whether Norway is loved or not loved in the NKR or Armenia.
" It is important to be realistic. Our future is in danger. And first of all, those who now live here can lose everything. This is not the time for practical proposals. Until the peacekeepers from Norway come, and even the question is whether they will come, whether they will be able to do anything, whether they will be able to save something, whether they have experience in maintaining peace! The Russian Federation has been here for centuries," the head of the Karabakh Foreign Ministry said.
At the same time, Babayan asked a counter question, what is wrong with the fact that the Russian Federation is in Nagorno-Karabakh. "What is the logic that you want the Norwegians? Do you want the best for Artsakh? If you serve other interests, then we are not in this game. Nobody better than Russian peacekeepers will be able to fulfill these obligations. But this does not mean that we are against Norway, all efforts should be directed to the salvation of Artsakh," the diplomat said, once again calling for refraining from political speculation.
When asked about the inability of Russian peacekeepers to stop Azerbaijani provocations, Babayan asked a counter question: Will not the Azeris take such steps in the case of the Norwegians as well?
The NKR Foreign Minister drew attention to the fact that all provocations by Azerbaijan, which are carried out with the support of Turkey, are directed, including against Russia. "If there were peacekeepers from other countries, they would have entered Stepanakert long ago and would have killed everyone. And only the presence of Russia is a restraining factor," he said, emphasizing once again that it is the presence of Russian peacekeepers that does not allow the outbreak of a new large-scale war.
When asked why Artsakh will not hold a referendum and vote for joining Russia, Babayan stressed that this issue is not on the agenda today. At the same time, the head of the NKR Foreign Ministry noted that today the most important thing is not to be part of Azerbaijan.
"I would like to emphasize that neither in the short term nor in the long term, we will not accept attempts to forcibly annex Artsakh to Azerbaijan. This is the most important thing and we must build a development vector on this," he said.
Referring to the statements of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia about the need to lower the bar on the Karabakh issue, which is requested by the international community, the Minister drew attention to the disunity of the international community today and pointed to the need to be guided by our own national interests.
Speaking about the prospects for the resumption of the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Babayan recalled that this is the only platform where the United States, France and Russia worked together.
According to him, against the background of the processes around Ukraine, the activity of the format has been frozen due to disagreements between Russia and the West, but he expressed hope that it will be restarted in the future. At the same time, in this vein, he drew attention to the complexity of the process of dismantling the format of the OSCE Minsk Group. "The main thing for us now is the preservation of peace and stability in the region," the diplomat said.