The interlocutor of Radar Armenia is Ani Samsonyan, a member of the board of the "Lusavar Hayastan" party and former deputy of the National Assembly.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation announced today that they aim to advance the "3+3" platform. What is the goal of the Russian Federation in activating this format?
- The promotion of this format has one goal: to remove the West, the USA, and the EU from the process of settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and, in general, from the region. The decision of the EU observation mission's visit to Armenia and its long-term activities has provoked the Russian Federation, which they do not even hide and point its finger at Armenia. Since the Russian Federation, as a separate mediator, is no longer viable, it was demonstrated by the blockade of the Lachin Corridor under the Russian peacekeeping mandate, keeping the people of Artsakh in a humanitarian disaster for more than a month, and Moscow's inaction and incompetence against this background. And the CSTO being an artificial structure was recorded by the fact of the occupied territories of Armenia, a member of the CSTO. Therefore, Russia is looking for partners. They destroyed the OSCE Minsk Group. Consequently, they will not consider it, especially since the other co-chairing countries are France and the USA. The "3+3" format remained, where Turkey, Georgia, Russia, and Iran would become the heavyweights of Azerbaijan, while Armenia would be sitting alone on the other side. Suppose this is a political issue for Russia. In that case, the only problem for Armenia is protecting its security, sovereignty, and statehood, which may be at risk in the "3+3" format.
- Should Armenia also use this platform to regulate Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, taking into account the presence of the West in our region and the OSCE Minsk co-chairmanship factor?
- Naturally, Turkey, Georgia, and Iran cannot be indifferent to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and Nagorno-Karabakh issues because it concerns about the region's security and stability. Armenia should work with these countries through bilateral cooperation. But why is the restart of the OSCE Minsk Group vital for us? Because the principles of conflict resolution, which are essential for us, were developed and refined in that group. It would be a lie to say that hopes are high that the OSCE will resume operations, but there is still no equivalent and mutually binding format to replace it.
- In your opinion, what was the purpose of the reminder that the negotiations for the settlement of relations between Ankara and Yerevan were launched under Russian auspices?
- Russia wants to emphasize two things. The first is that it is the mediator of the possible settlement of both Armenian-Azerbaijani and Armenian-Turkish relations, once again highlighting its importance in the region, that "the region is mine," and the West cannot play any role here. And secondly, the dialogue between Armenia and Turkey can and is happening because it is Russia's wish. In other words, if I want, you won't talk; if I wish to, you will. And this should be considered from the point that Russia has always hindered and will continue to hinder those dialogue attempts. That is why even within Armenia, there are political forces, including those who proclaim themselves national, who are ready to help the Russian Federation always spoil the Armenian-Turkish dialogue. Even today, from morning to night, people's brains are being brainwashed with "if the Russians are not there, the Turks will come," "if we break away from the Russians, we will become a Turkish vilayet," and other stupidities instilling such fears. In other words, they use people's genetic worries to keep them dependent constantly. We do not need a mediator for the settlement of Armenian-Turkish relations. It should be a constructive dialogue, increasing the will to establish diplomatic ties and open the borders. It is complex; it has always been challenging. Everything depends on the goal and its consistent implementation. There are many disruptors, they are dangerous, and because of them, we have lost the historical moment several times so that we could not reach this day. Let's see which is stronger: state and political intelligence or pseudo-nationalist tyranny.
Hayk Magoyan
