Statements by the speaker of the Armenian Parliament
“Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO until we understand whether this organization exists or not, whether it is functioning, whether it is leaving our region, whether it will at least call Azerbaijan and say that Jermuk [a city in Armenia] is CSTO territory,” said the speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan. He added that there is no need to come to Armenia to confirm this fact.
As reported in September 2022 by the General Staff of Armenia, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces advanced towards the Armenian city of Jermuk by 7.5 kilometers. The authorities of Armenia then requested assistance from Russia and the Russian-led CSTO military bloc, but the allies did not respond. The CSTO referred to the fact that the border between the two countries is undemarcated. Instead of an urgent response and military assistance, the CSTO later sent a monitoring mission to Armenia.
On public television, the speaker of the parliament stated: “Nobody is doing anything against Russia.” According to Simonyan, Moscow itself “left the Armenian side alone, abandoned it at the most critical moment.”
He also presented Armenia’s position regarding the return of non-enclave villages to Azerbaijan and possible accession to the European Union.
“Pulled into a new war to ‘save’ Armenia”
Alen Simonyan stated that Moscow had been a “friend and ally” to Yerevan, but failed to defend it when necessary. Russia had repeatedly backed away from its commitments to protect Armenia’s borders. However, according to the parliament speaker, Yerevan continued to hope for support:
“Then we were deceived again and again, and in the end, they attempted to drag us into a new war on Armenian territory [the invasion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into Armenian sovereign territory in September 2022] to come and ‘save’ the Republic of Armenia.”
The Russian security system “does not work and never worked”
Asked about the Armenian opposition’s statements that if Russia leaves the region, it will be replaced by Turkey, Simonyan replied:
“We are certain that we have clear problems with this option [for security]. Now, should we continue riding in the same car without brakes, hoping that we will press [the brakes] and the process will stop at some point?”
According to the head of the Armenian parliament, the Armenian authorities have experience; they “repeatedly pressed these brakes,” appealed to Russia, the CSTO, “pleaded and begged,” but it was futile:
“It is obvious that this [security system] does not work. Now we are trying to defend our country by all possible means. I think it is unjust to blame us for this.”
“The most reliable and desirable option” – EU membership
As the speaker of the National Assembly stated, the Armenian people share the “values of the European family.” This is how Armenia is perceived by its foreign partners. According to Simonyan, the challenge lies in the process of obtaining candidate status for EU membership:
“We need to understand how to organize this process. It’s not just about submitting an application. We have to bring many things into line with European standards to avoid ending up like Turkey, waiting [for accession] for decades. But this is the value system we should aspire to.”
Simonyan mentioned that in April, a meeting of parliament leaders from EU countries will take place in Spain. For the first time, Yerevan has received an invitation to participate.
“If I’m not mistaken, no post-Soviet country or even EU membership candidate country has received such an invitation before. The attitude towards collaboration with Armenia is at a very high level,” he emphasized.
“We’re not giving away what’s ours”
Commenting on the return of four enclaved villages in the Tavush region to Azerbaijan, Simonian stated that the authorities have no intention of even discussing the “transfer” of any territory of Armenia. He stated that the authorities have no intention of even discussing the “transfer” of any territory of Armenia. He brought a map to the show to illustrate where the border with Azerbaijan lies according to the Alma-Ata Declaration. It is based on the borders of the former Soviet republics, and Armenia is ready to conduct border demarcation accordingly.
He assured that the authorities are not talking about handing Armenian villages over to Azerbaijan. For example, the village of Voskepar is not on the list of villages specified by Azerbaijan:
“Those who make such statements, referring to Armenian villages, either do so out of ignorance or to provoke domestic political processes in Armenia. We declare that we are ready to conduct demarcation in this area. What belongs to us will remain ours, and what belongs to them [Azerbaijan] will remain theirs.”
The speaker of the National Assembly reiterated several times that Armenia is not going to yield any territory to avoid war. The authorities are engaging in this process not because of threats from Azerbaijan, but because “this is necessary for Armenia”:
“When we say that the Republic of Armenia must have a cadastral certificate, it cannot be an abstract conversation.”
Asked if Azerbaijan will recognize the border in that case, Simonyan replied:
“So what else can they do? Of course, when they recognize our border, they thereby recognize their own border.”
