This ‘peace’ process is merely temporary ceasefire, not peace between peoples – Ara Poghosyan

Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist Ara Poghosyan expressed his conviction that the so‑called “peace” process is not taking place between the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples or states, but rather between the ruling elites.

“As soon as there is any change in behavior, political approach, or political priorities among the ruling elites, we will witness the collapse of this so‑called peace process. From the very beginning, it was not peace achieved through dialogue between peoples. The Azerbaijani authorities clearly show what their goal is. Let us call this ‘peace’ process a temporary ceasefire, in which the benefits are not received directly by the peoples, but by the ruling elites,” Poghosyan said.

According to him, it is impossible to speak of peace between peoples, since in that case a public dialogue about peace should begin, which, in his view, is absent. The political scientist does not consider it real dialogue between peoples when representatives of Azerbaijani civil society come to Armenia, or when Armenian representatives may soon travel there.

“Who are these representatives of civil society, do they represent broad layers of society? Neither Azerbaijani nor Armenian society is monolithic. If we all shared the same ideas, views, and attitudes toward the past and future, then perhaps a few individuals could represent everyone’s perspective. But both in Azerbaijan and in Armenia, the chosen individuals are extensions of the authorities or come from circles close to them. They cannot represent people whose views differ from the official vision of ‘peace’ and Armenia’s future,” Poghosyan concluded.