Armenian political analysts voice out risks of changing Nagorno-Karabakh's status

The autonomy of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan will lead to the exodus of the Armenian population from this territory; while the signing of a peace treaty with transferring Nagorno-Karabakh under Azerbaijan's control will spark mass protests in Armenia, the Armenian political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have pointed out.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the international community suggests to "somewhat lower the bar on Karabakh," the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, said at the session of the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia on April 13.

"Lowering the bar" on the Nagorno-Karabakh's status means autonomy inside Azerbaijan, Andrias Gukasyan, a political analyst and the leader of the Constructive Party of Armenia, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Ovsep Khurshudyan, a political analyst and the head of the "Free Citizen" Support Centre of Civil Initiatives, has doubted that the international community, and in this case the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, demand that Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh give up the latter's independent status, because otherwise there will be no Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Naira Airumyan, a political observer and the editor of the Russian version of the "Lragir.am", suspects that the above Pashinyan's statement is hiding some intention to win time in order to attract international forces for settling the conflict.

She has noted that in the Armenian society there are clear signs of rejection and protest moods regarding the change of Nagorno-Karabakh's status; and these protest moods are observed at all levels – from the popular to the political ones. "People are very sensitive to information about the threat, including regarding the status of Artsakh," Ms Airumyan has stressed.

According to her version, the only guarantee of security for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh is the Armenian sovereignty over its territory. If there's no such sovereignty, then Nagorno-Karabakh will be in danger. "The absence of the Armenian sovereignty in Artsakh can lead to an exodus of Armenians (from the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh)," Naira Airumyan has concluded.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 16, 2022 at 02:45 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.