Azerbaijan will continuously achieve its long-term goal by putting pressure on the authorities of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to achieve the de-Armenianization of Artsakh, and be in a win-win situation with Armenia if there is border delimitation and demarcation. Seyran Ohanyan, head of the opposition "Armenia" Faction of the National Assembly and former defense minister of Armenia, told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am.
According to Ohanyan, Azerbaijan also wants to get a road or a corridor through the territory of Armenia in order to implement the “Great Turan” policy.
As for the Armenian authorities, Ohanyan said that as a result of their policies, they brought Armenia and Artsakh into war, they did nothing to achieve success in the war, whereas the Armenian people had the opportunities and potential for all of this.
"All we have to do is solely reaffirm the ‘red lines’ marked by the ‘Armenia’ alliance, that the only way is the self-determination of Artsakh, which can bring about the security of Artsakh and sustainable development in its historical territory," Ohanyan added, in particular.
According to him, Azerbaijan's actions and statements show that peaceful coexistence with that country is not possible, and therefore Artsakh cannot be a part of Azerbaijan.
To the question whether Azerbaijan's provocations can lead to large-scale military actions, Seyran Ohanyan responded that this depends on the Armenian people.
"The more they [i.e. the Armenian authorities] surrender, the stricter and sharper Azerbaijan's actions will be towards Artsakh and Armenia. The Armenian people should go for a national uprising and organize our defense and get rid of these [incumbent Armenian] authorities," Ohanyan said.
He reflected on the Artsakh authorities as well, noting that they should have a strategy that should be aimed first of all at being in an advantageous position in security issues.
"These opportunities exist in Artsakh. Second, to demand from the Armenian authorities the commitment that Armenia is obligated to. Third, major steps must be taken in foreign policy. The first is relations with Russia; it is the major work on international platforms. On the ground, the security of Artsakh is ensured by the Russian peacekeeping forces. And major work must be done so that after the expiration of the term of the Russian peacekeepers, the peacekeepers do not leave at the request of one side [i.e. Azerbaijan], but of the other side—the Armenian side, the Russian peacekeepers remain there," Ohanyan said.
"The second unit that should ensure the security of Artsakh is the Artsakh Defense Army. We must present to the international community that the Artsakh Defense Army was formed at the initial phase of Artsakh's self-determination, when Azerbaijan opposed provocations to it, then it turned into large-scale military actions. At that time, in order to organize its self-defense in the territory of Artsakh, the Defense Army was created within its capabilities," Seyran Ohanyan noted.