Vahram Abajyan: Having lost Artsakh, we lost our independence

The United States and Russia believe that thanks to peace they will be able to strengthen their presence in our region, former Ambassador of Armenia to Great Britain Vahram Abajyan said in an interview with Alpha News.

“The United States and Russia are interested in peace in the region, though from opposing positions. Each of them believes that, thanks to this peace, they will be able to strengthen their presence in this region and fulfill their political goals.

Speaking about the ‘peace treaty’, I note that the development of events indicates that this is how it should be. This reasoning is far from new. It began during the time of the first president, when our victory turned into a kind of wishy-washy truce. These were the first signs that the so-called peace should be achieved, which would benefit both the major powers, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and the Armenian authorities.

Another question is to what extent this peace corresponds to the national interests of the Armenian people. Yes, this peace must be achieved. It could happen in a month, six months, or a year, but the essence of the agreement will not change,” Abajyan said.

He also noted that having lost Artsakh, Armenia lost its independence.

“Today, peace talks are more like demagoguery than real peace. For example, regarding demagoguery, at first glance, it seems to many that someone is telling the truth, but when we go deeper, we see a lie in this truth. Of course, it would be good if normal relations were established between Armenia and its neighbors and economic and cultural ties were developed. This would be the best guarantee of security and peace, but the question is at what cost this will be achieved. First of all, this is done at the cost of Artsakh. We should not forget that it is thanks to the Artsakh movement that Armenia gained its independence. Having lost Artsakh, we lost our independence.

What kind of peace can we talk about when we abandon Ararat and stop honoring the memory of the Genocide victims? It turns out that our nation is deprived of all its property: pride, national dignity, and the memory of its ancestors. We must revive the national spirit and promote the national ideology, which should be expressed in fundamental constitutional changes. Unfortunately, I do not see the prerequisites for all this yet,” the former ambassador concluded.