Andranik Kocharian, who heads the National Assembly’s defense committee, told reporters that it has been Armenia’s position stated repeatedly that it supports the process.
“We are interested in this process beginning as soon as possible so that it becomes clear where the zero point is, and it is after negotiations around that point that problems related to engineering work to enhance our border defenses will be getting solutions,” he said.
After fresh deadly border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan that were stopped through Russia’s mediation last week Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced that Yerevan received new proposals from Moscow regarding the “preparatory stage” of the process of border delimitation and demarcation with Azerbaijan. He told his cabinet that those proposals were acceptable to Armenia. Baku has not commented on the reported Russian offer yet.
Today, the Kremlin announced that a trilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will take place in Sochi on November 26.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Hraparak daily earlier on Tuesday Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian said that there was no agreement on signing any document at the moment.
Andranik Kocharian, meanwhile, said that “if the [Russian] proposals are acceptable for the prime minister, then they are in Armenia’s interests.”
Meanwhile, several opposition groups continued their street protests in Yerevan today demanding that the government provide more information about the current diplomatic processes around a possible border demarcation with Azerbaijan that they view as risky for Armenia.
Protesters, in particular, claim that by recognizing the Soviet-era borders with Azerbaijan Armenia will effectively recognize that Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory, which will harm the aspirations of the region’s ethnic Armenians for self-determination. Opposition activists are also wary of a possible handover to Baku of several Azerbaijani enclaves that existed near strategic roads in the territory of Soviet Armenia as well as Yerevan’s possible agreement to provide Azerbaijan with an exterritorial corridor to its western exclave of Nakhichevan.
Rallying in Yerevan today the opposition groups insisted on their right to know about crucial decisions concerning the fate of the country.
Andranik Kocharian said that “nothing will be secret at some point.” “But in the process of reaching that point, a lot will be secret... Our government, nevertheless, keeps its key promises. This government will not do anything behind the people’s back, that is why it has received people’s vote,” the pro-government lawmaker added.
Meanwhile, an opposition lawmaker has cast doubt on the government’s honesty and ability to keep its promises. Gegham Manukian, a member of the Hayastan faction, insisted that the current processes should not be kept confidential.
“The declaration of surrender was signed not only behind the people’s backs, but also secretly from the [rest of the] government, with the signature of just one person. The pullout of Armenian troops in Syunik was also done secretly behind the people’s back,” claimed Geghamian, referring to the November 9, 2020 Russia-brokered ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh signed by Pashinian and a further arrangement for an Armenian withdrawal from districts around the region.