We cannot be part of a dictatorship that does not respect even its own people. Artsakh’s State Minister

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic State Minister Ruben Vardanyan gave interviews to Spanish EL PAIS and Italian La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana periodicals, presenting the situation in and around Artsakh.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of the Minister of State of Artsakh, both periodicals gave a clear assessment of the situation in Artsakh in their forewords.

"It's been almost two months that Artsakh has been besieged by Azerbaijan, but there are still no ways out. The Armenian population continues to rely on the humanitarian aid of the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers. The authorities of the enclave asked the international community to provide an air bridge and impose sanctions on Azerbaijan," writes EL PAIS, quoting Ruben Vardanyan's words that an air humanitarian corridor will prevent a humanitarian crisis.

"It is the practical solution that was also applied during the sieges of Berlin (1948-1949) and Sarajevo (1992-1996)."

Ruben Vardanyan told EL PAIS that the situation is very difficult. The limited supply of food and electricity and the economic crisis are having a negative impact on the life of the people.

"But at the same time, people understand that this is part of our struggle for independence. Azerbaijan's goal is to force people to come under their control through a blockade, which means forced deportations and ethnic cleansing. The European community should force its authorities to impose sanctions on Baku," the State Minister said.

The newspaper writes that the Azerbaijani government has announced that from now on, Nagorno-Karabakh is Baku's "internal problem" and that local Armenian residents are Azerbaijani citizens who can leave the country if they wish. According to the periodical, Vardanyan assures that he is ready to enter into a dialogue acceptable to both sides, stressing, however, that the Armenians of Artsakh will never accept the jurisdiction of Baku.

"We do not want to be subjected to ethnic cleansing, the victims of which were the residents of the Armenian communities living in Azerbaijan during the Soviet period. We are a democratic republic and we cannot be part of a dictatorship that does not respect even its own people."

The Italian periodical La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, which published the interview with Ruben Vardanyan entitled "You can't ignore us. The Minister of State of besieged Artsakh speaks" with, writes in the preface:

"In Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), which is fighting for its independence, the new crisis has been dragging on for two months. Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin corridor. After the war of 2020, it is the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, on which it depends for all the goods of first necessity. The crisis is humanitarian in nature. From a political point of view, the motives of Azerbaijan still have no explanation, except for the desire to bring the local independence-loving Armenian population to its knees.

Answering the question about the actions of the EU and the resolution of the European Parliament condemning the blockade, Ruben Vardanyan said:

"The problem with the European Union is that words are not followed by actions, probably because Azerbaijan supplies oil and gas in that direction on very favorable terms."

To the question whether the relative silence of the European media regarding the situation in Artsakh is not due to their attitude towards Russia, Ruben Vardanyan answered: “We are living in such a time when there are many crises, wars, economic upheavals at the same time...”

"Europe has always respected democracies, and Artsakh is a democratic state. We have had four heads of state, we held elections, we have a real opposition and an open society, unlike Azerbaijan, which is a typical authoritarian state where one family rules and there is no freedom, no democracy, no respect for human rights."