Serzh Sargsyan has used an address at Chatham House in London today to set out Armenia's position on the Karabakh conflict and Turkish rapprochement.
He even invited his Azerbaijani counterpart to the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border.
"I would like to ... inform you that I am going to invite President Aliyev to the potential opening ceremony of the Armenian-Turkish border," Sargsyan said in his address to the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
The Armenian president said that territorial integrity should not be the basis of a resolution of the conflict and that Karabakh had never been part of Azerbaijan.
He accused Baku of using its oil income to stoke an arms race.
On the normalization of relations with Turkey, Sargsyan said he would today instruct his administration to send the Armenian-Turkish protocols to parliament for ratification. He said that the Armenian parliament would ratify the protocols if Turkish lawmakers did the same.
News.Az publishes below excerpts from the speech, entitled Values and Security in the South Caucasus, which was published in English on the Armenian president's website.
Sargsyan on Karabakh
“We have witnessed a policy of the most brutal ethnic cleansing and displacement. The people of Mountainous Karabakh were forced to pay by blood to defend their right to live freely in a war that was imposed on them. We must find solutions the implementation of which will not lead to further displacement and ethnic cleansing. We have to realize that the people of Karabakh consider that they have managed, on the one hand, to restore historical justice distorted during Stalin’s dictatorship, and, on the other, to safeguard the minimum conditions necessary for their physical survival. It is with this realization that we continue the talks with Azerbaijan and perceive the peace process and the efforts of the mediators.
"The truth is that Karabakh was never a part of independent Azerbaijan. It was forced into Azerbaijan by a decision of the Soviet Union party authority, which, defiant of the League of Nations decision and the popular referendum as a means of determining the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, decided in its Caucasus Bureau session in 1921, under Stalin’s direct pressure, and in violation of the procedure, to annex Mountainous Karabakh on the condition of forming a national autonomy on these Armenian territories within the Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan. Throughout the Soviet period, the people of Karabakh never reconciled to this decision. I will not dwell upon details of Azerbaijan’s state-level policy of cleansing Karabakh from Armenians and the periodic uprising of the Karabakhis during the Soviet period, as I believe you all are well-aware of them. However, I would like to reiterate that the Autonomous Province of Mountainous Karabakh seceded from the Soviet Union fully in line with the Soviet laws and all the applicable principles and rules of international law, exactly as the 15 Soviet Republics did. To sum up this part of my speech, I would like to reiterate that Mountainous Karabakh was never a part of independent Azerbaijan: it was annexed to Azerbaijan by a decision of the Soviet Union party body. The people of Karabakh never put up with this decision, and upon the first opportunity, seceded from the Soviet Union fully in line with the laws of the Soviet Union and the applicable international law.
"The problem has many sensitive and delicate aspects. I urge everyone to exercise utmost caution when making public statements on the problem of Mountainous Karabakh, to take into account all the dimensions, possible consequences, and the perceptions of the sides, and always to rely on the positions of the organizations that are familiar with the details of the problem and specialize in its peaceful resolution: in this case, it would be the OSCE. The problem can only be resolved in the context of the international law principles of the self-determination of nations, territorial integrity, and the non-use of force. All the stakeholders now realize this truth. Whenever one refers to the Mountainous Karabakh conflict, the notion of territorial integrity should not be emphatically underlined, especially that even if that notion is perceived to be the only one applying in the case of the Mountainous Karabakh conflict, it would not lead to its application in the form envisioned by Azerbaijan...
"Azerbaijan has exhausted the resources of trust in terms of autonomous status for minorities within its boundaries. It was not and is not capable of providing guarantees of even internal security to such autonomies. There was once another Armenian autonomy in Azerbaijan: Nakhchivan. What happened to it? Not a single Armenian is left in Nakhchivan. Can such guarantees be taken for granted? You might say Azerbaijan was different then, and is different now. During the last 18 years of that 'difference' more Armenian and Christian monuments were destroyed than in the preceding 70 years. The international organizations tasked with protection of the cultural heritage were unable to do anything: Azerbaijan did not even permit them to visit and see the obliterated Armenian monuments.
"In the meantime, a full-blown race of arms continues in the South Caucasus. It is extremely dangerous. It is dangerous not only for the South Caucasus peoples, but also for Europe and the powers that have a stake in the region, the corporations that have invested in the Caucasus, and everyone else. Azerbaijan has not faced any substantial confrontation for having exceeded all the possible caps on conventional arms. Even if not used in a war against Karabakh, the weapons Azerbaijan is stockpiling today will shoot somewhere. The only question is where and when. While spending large sums on purchases of oil, the advanced states, in my opinion, cannot remain indifferent to how their moneys are being spent. The fact is that these very proceeds can become a source of threats, something that has happened elsewhere in the past.
"Armenia and Karabakh have never unleashed and never will unleash a war. We despise war, as our generation was forced to look death straight in the eyes, and has seen and lost more than can be imagined. However, we realize that we must be ready for war in case others wish to fight. We cannot turn a blind eye to recurrent belligerent threats coming from a neighbouring state, whose president’s New Year address to his people sounded no different from the speech of an army commander motivating his units for a battle. The war rhetoric is intensifying in the Caucasus. Armenia predominantly refrains from responding to the threats. Quoting John Kennedy, we do not need to utter threats to prove that we are firm. However, it does not solve the problem. Threats also amount to violence, and violence usually begets violence.
"The irony is that Azeri propaganda, spending hundreds of millions of dollars, does not miss any opportunity to label Karabakh as an aggressor, despite the fact that the people of Karabakh had to take on arms literally to avoid extermination. The reality is that the people that live in Karabakh are and will always be ready to defend their right to survive, their values, churches, and cross-stones.
"The Republic of Mountainous Karabakh is a well-established state with its institutions, army, and most importantly, citizens that exercise control of their fate. Today we, as well as the international community, witness Artsakh [Nagorno Karabakh] as a contemporary state that is implementing the ideals of freedom, sovereignty, and democracy; in spite of natural and manmade difficulties and grave challenges, it is progressing, strengthening its democratic institutions, government, economy, and culture, and defending peace. In its 'Freedom in the World' Report, a reputable human rights watchdog, the Freedom House has ranked the Republic of Mountainous Karabakh among partially free democratic states, while ranking Azerbaijan as a non-free state. No further comments are needed here.
"The obvious conclusion is that the times of colonizing a people living on its own soil have long passed. Our belief is that the settlement of the Karabakh conflict should be based on human rights and the will of the Karabakh people as an expression of their collective identity. It is the only way to achieve lasting, feasible, and peaceful settlement. The alternative to this settlement is the forcing of the Karabakh people back into Azerbaijan, which will inevitably lead to attempts of new ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Karabakh. There is no alternative here, especially given that Azerbaijan has labelled the vast majority of the Karabakh population as 'criminals' over the last two decades. Hence, in view of the consequences of this alternative, we clearly rule out any pressure-driven concessions in the Karabakh process that would threaten the Artsakh [Karabakh] people’s physical existence, security and right to live in dignity.
Rapprochement with Turkey
"Dear Colleagues, I am confident that you are also interested in the ongoing dialogue between Armenia and Turkey and its current stage. I have noticed that experts everywhere are rigorously following and analysing this process. Let me remind you that my initiative to invite President Gul to Armenia and to launch dialogue between Armenia and Turkey was first expressed in a similar meeting with experts in Moscow; and it then received a wide acclamation a in a matter of just minutes.
"During the last year, we have made significant progress towards the normalization of relations with Turkey without any preconditions. We regard the Armenia-Turkey relationship in a much broader regional and international context. I am confident that the time of closed borders and ultimatums has passed. The palette of the modern world is much more diverse than just black and white. We all must realize it and create possibilities for natural relations, cooperation and dialogue. It must be done not only because Armenia and Turkey will benefit from it, but also because it will do good for the whole region and, therefore, Europe.
"We have indeed approached a milestone at which we can achieve a breakthrough. It is the path of cooperation without preconditions, without making bilateral relations contingent upon issues related to third party states. At this time, we have the signed protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and the development of bilateral relations between Armenia and Turkey, which are awaiting ratification by the parliaments of our two states.
"In Armenia, the ratification process is progressing in accordance with the regular procedure, without any undue delays, as proven by the decision of the Constitutional Court of Armenia issued over a month before the statutory deadline for its adoption. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Constitutional Court made the decision unanimously, without any dissenting opinions: this fact in itself is telling. The Constitutional Court of Armenia found that the Protocols do not contain any provision that could be interpreted as contravening the requirements of the Armenian Constitution. The decision is now in the Office of the President, and the whole package of documents is ready for submission to the parliament. Immediately after today’s meeting here at the Chattem [Chatham] House, I am going to instruct my staff to submit the Armenia-Turkey protocols to the Armenian National Assembly for the ratification process to be initiated.
"Speaking at this esteemed institution today, I reiterate the commitment of the Republic of Armenia to this process. As the political leader of the political majority of the Armenian parliament, I reiterate that I rule out any possibility of the Armenian parliament failing to ratify the protocols in case Turkey ratifies the protocols without preconditions, as agreed.
"Senior Turkish officials repeatedly assert the political independence of their parliament and the unpredictability of its decision. Moreover, they try to obtain non-partisan ratification by securing the potential support of opposition parties, as well. It is understandable. However, they ought to remember that in case of Armenia they deal with a country, which persevered throughout the process and did not stop even in spite of losing a key ally in the ruling coalition. I am confident that President Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan will, subject to the demonstration of political will, find sufficient support within their party that holds the majority of seats in the Turkish parliament.
"We are confident that the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations can become the greatest input of the recent decades in achieving peace and stability in the South Caucasus. With this vision, we have agreed to move forward without any preconditions, not making our relations contingent upon Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide. However, if, as many suspect, it is proven that Turkey’s goal is to protract, rather than to normalize relations, we will have to discontinue the process.
"I would not claim that the process has so far been easy. It is common knowledge that Turkey repeatedly attempted to voice preconditions related to the resolution of the Mountainous Karabakh issue. It is, however, obvious that attempts to link these two processes will undermine both the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations and the talks around the Karabakh issue. I, however, believe that the rapid normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations can set an example of a proactive problem-solving attitude that will positively stimulate and set an example [for] the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
"I would like to take one step further and inform you that I am going to invite President Aliyev to the potential opening ceremony of the Armenian-Turkish border. I believe it can serve as an essential and in some ways exemplary measure for the region, which will clearly demonstrate how existing problems should be solved and that every conflict, even the stalest one, can be resolved by means of negotiations and the ability to look truth in the eye. I am sure that the best way to facilitate the resolution of the Karabakh issue is setting the example of one’s own country being able to resolve issues for the benefit of the whole region."
Armenian presidential website