Levon Ter-Petrosyan: "June elections may end in civil war"

This week, a reconnaissance and sabotage group of the armed forces of Armenia made another attempt to break into the territory of Azerbaijan in the direction of the settlement of Yukhary Ayrim of the Kelbajar region through the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border. Six Armenian servicemen, who tried to mine the supply lines leading to the positions of the Azerbaijani army on the border, were taken prisoner. This became an informational occasion for the conversation of ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, leader of the Armenian National Congress party, to the First TV Channel of Armenia.

He also outlined his vision of the history of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, current realities and prospects for overcoming the political crisis.

Talking about the captured soldiers, Ter-Petrosyan noted that the situation is related to border security: “After the war, such incidents occur regularly. There are political and psychological reasons for these problems. The political reason is that [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev is confident that [Acting Prime Minister of Armenia] Nikol [Pashinyan] will not win these elections (I mean the early parliamentary elections in Armenia, scheduled for June 20 this year, - editor's note), and uses his weakness ... The psychological factor is expressed in the fact that Azerbaijan felt humiliated for 30 years after losing the First Karabakh war. This is a very heavy burden. We have only lost nine months, but this burden is already very heavy for us. "

The ex-president also recalled that after the First Karabakh war there were prisoners on both sides: “I decided to return the prisoners, I turned to the Red Cross, provided the list and said:“ I release these people, let them return to Azerbaijan. ”Then those who Were nearby - Vazgen Sargsyan, Serzh Sargsyan - asked: “And if they don’t return our prisoners?” And I answered: “Be calm, I know Heydar Aliyev.” Our prisoners returned by the same liner. ”

Answering the question of why Armenia ultimately lost the war, Levon Ter-Petrosyan noted: “We were defeated because we did not understand the spirit of the times. In politics, time is the most important factor ... At one time, we could gain a lot through concessions . If we went to the step-by-step solution to the problem, proposed in the 1990s, our people would be happy now. "

"I agreed to the option of a phased solution. On the basis of this option, we would return Lachin and Kelbajar to the Azerbaijani side with the condition that we retain the Lachin corridor. This corridor was supposed to be at least 22 km, and not 4 km as it is now," says the ex-president , answering the question of what exactly he proposed at the negotiations. "Karabakh would be under the control of the peacekeeping forces. An opportunity would be created for the development of Karabakh. There are no borders in all of Europe. Borders do not matter in developed countries."

According to Ter-Petrosyan, time worked for Azerbaijan: "Azerbaijan strengthened, and Armenia was weakened. A modern army was created in Azerbaijan, and our army decreased due to migration. There are also hidden nuances, which I am not talking about, but the number of our army less than in the 1990s. What could one hope for? "

Speaking about why he himself remained on the sidelines when the future of the country was being decided, the ex-president expressed confidence that if he had not moved away from active politics, then a civil war could begin in Armenia.

The ex-president believes that the main lesson of the last war is the coming understanding that it is necessary to abandon the dream of "Armenia from sea to sea": "When a person comes to power, he must know the situation in Armenia, what problems it has with its neighbors, with what external problems she faces, and try to solve those problems realistically. Dreams are typical of immature societies. "

As for Turkey's role in the Karabakh conflict, according to Ter-Petrosyan, in the 1990s it was not involved in the process: “The Turks even wanted to improve relations with Armenia in the full sense of the word, they wanted to open the borders, sent us wheat and opened roads ".

As for the position of Russia, Ter-Petrosyan said that today they do not talk with him or with another ex-president of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, in Moscow, do not disclose their plans to them. In the Russian capital, they talk to Nikol Pashinyan as the head of state, but "he doesn't even understand what the Russians want to say."

Nevertheless, according to the ex-president of Armenia, Russia has long-term programs for the Transcaucasus: “Everyone knows that the West has come to terms with the fact that the Caucasus is a zone controlled by Russia. For the West, post-Soviet countries can be important only when they represent a big problem for Russia. "

Talking about the upcoming elections in Armenia, Ter-Petrosyan noted that they are being held in difficult conditions: “The state machine has collapsed, the level of governance is zero. In 1991, we faced exactly the same situation: the local executive bodies were in a deplorable state, and militia. There was no budget, no funding, the courts did not work. Today, a parliamentary republic is an abyss for us. In young states, parliamentary rule is a disaster. Now the opposition and the government are in mortal combat. These elections can lead to civil war. From bad governments and dictators can be gotten rid of, but the most dangerous thing for the country is civil wars. "