Greek public television covers Armenian-Azerbaijani relations

YEREVAN, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS. The “Borders” political-analytical program of the Greek Public TV ERT has addressed the developments in the South Caucasus, where, as it mentioned, a tragic and bloody chapter in the history of Nagorno-Karabakh was written about ten months ago.

The program features an interview with Tigran Mkrtchyan, the Ambassador of Armenia to Greece, providing views on the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the future of the long-standing conflict.

The situation in the broader region of Southeast Europe is unstable. The general instability creates grounds for concern about new turmoil in the region.

We will slightly expand our focus to observe the developments in the South Caucasus, where the most tragic and bloody chapter in the history of Nagorno-Karabakh was written about ten months ago.

"In September 2023, a major one-day offensive by Azerbaijan against the autonomous Nagorno-Karabakh, which was predominantly Armenian, was sufficient to dramatically end the more than thirty-year conflict between Baku and Yerevan, at least temporarily. The Defense Army of Artsakh, as the Armed Forces of Nagorno-Karabakh are called, was forced to disband, and hundreds of thousands of civilians of Armenian origin are forcibly displaced.This is one of the most tragic stories of population displacement in the 21st century,” note the program's authors.

 “It is one of the most tragic episodes of modern history when more than 100,000 to 120,000 people were ethnically cleansed. For thousands of years, Armenians had continuously existed in this region, in Nagorno-Karabakh. It had been part of our Motherland. In just a few days, the entire region was cleansed of Armenians. I hope that in future, the Armenians will be able to return to their homeland. Right now, it may not seem realistic, but belief in the restoration of justice is the impetus of our life.” Ambassador Mkrtchyan said.

Speaking about the borders, Armenian Ambassador to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan expressed a positive attitude towards the ongoing peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington, but did not hide his concern.

"Armenia is ready to sign an agreement with Azerbaijan on peaceful coexistence and mutual recognition of borders and territorial integrity. The problem is that Azerbaijan continually creates artificial issues and engages in situational diplomacy, the basis of which is the use of force to achieve its goals," said the diplomat.

Addressing the European Union, the Ambassador said that relations with Armenia are currently at their highest level.

"Intensive political dialogue is underway with the EU, and the Armenian government is doing the utmost to deepen this cooperation. There is mutual willingness on the European side, and from a civilizational perspective, Armenia is a European country. Of course, in terms of values, human rights, freedom of speech, and all democratic features, Armenia is ahead of many neighboring countries. Therefore, the development of a European trajectory is inevitable for the country," said Ambassador Mkrtchyan.