During a press conference with international media outlets, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan addressed the issue of military and political prisoners from Artsakh. “The return of our prisoners, both the military and political leadership of Artsakh, is very painful and of crucial importance. We have had prisoners for nearly four years now, despite this government promising to resolve the issue within a few months. The mechanisms for these negotiations exist; we have pointed this out because what kind of peace can be achieved without these agreements? This is extremely important because there are no prisoners on the Armenian side, neither military nor political. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani side has taken our men as prisoners. The return of prisoners without preconditions is essential. We understand that certain conditions are dictated, and everything depends on what issues we put on the table during real negotiations. The resolution of the prisoners’ issue and other solutions will not happen without real negotiations. These negotiations do not exist today, so how do you imagine the return of prisoners when border demarcation and constitutional changes are being dictated? All of this comes from the whims of the enemy country’s leader. Yes, the issue of prisoners will be on the agenda during real negotiations,” said the Archbishop.
For Stable, Understandable, and Long-Term Relationships with the World, Centered on Armenia’s Interests: Archbishop Bagrat
Today, Armenia has no say in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations: no willingness for compromise, no basis for recognising territorial integrity. Therefore, negotiations, as such, do not exist, said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, responding to questions from Silvia Boltuc of Special Eurasia. According to him, their desire and plan is for negotiations to return to a real negotiation process and table. In answering whether Galstanyan would continue Pashinyan’s line of distancing Armenia from Russia, the Archbishop noted that he did not think that this government had a problem with changing direction. “What we see are spontaneous, event-driven relations. Our goal and plan is to have stable and reliable, long-term, positive, and constructive relations in all directions, with all partners,” said the Archbishop. He emphasised that there is an essential key detail in the Armenian agenda: everything must contribute to the interests of Armenia and the Armenian people. “We cannot exclude the presence of the Diaspora. We have compatriots spread across all the countries of the world whose presence already indicates that all these states are Armenia’s friends. Therefore, unlike the current government, whose policy with the world is unclear, our plan, goal, and agenda are to have reliable, stable, understandable, long-term relations with a positive trend, based on mutual understanding, with Armenia’s interests and the Armenian agenda at the centre,” said the Archbishop.
On What Basis Did the Foreign Ministry Say That a Peace Agreement is Possible in a Month and What is its Content: Archbishop Bagrat
What the President of Azerbaijan said was not about the level of negotiations or achieving something through negotiations. The President of Azerbaijan simply issued an imperative dictate, said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, answering a question from a Russian “Sputnik” agency journalist about the demand from Aliyev to change the Constitution. The Archbishop noted that there is no topic for discussion since there is dictation and instruction from Azerbaijan. “Within this framework and this background, how do you imagine signing a peace agreement in a month? Secondly, what kind of peace is this, at what cost, what will be included in this peace agreement, and how will it take place? They cannot resolve even one issue of border demarcation and delimitation with unified maps. This is not even demarcation and delimitation; it is simply handing over territories without receiving anything in return: nothing. The current government leader said we handed over two and a half villages in exchange for reducing risks, not eliminating them, but reducing them. This simply means that if ten bullets were fired at one time, now they will fire four or three,” said the Archbishop. According to him, we have found ourselves in an absurd situation where there is no conversation or dialogue between the two sides. There is an order, a threat of force, dictation, and coercion. “I do not know on what basis the Foreign Ministry said that it is possible to sign a peace agreement in a month and what the content of that agreement will be; it is very interesting to know. Let us not forget that the Azerbaijani side, at the presidential level, emphasized that all these processes should take place according to their agenda and their dictation, meaning Azerbaijani dictation and their demands. Until now, we see that this is how it proceeds,” said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan.
Yes, We Are Coming to Establish Peace: Archbishop Bagrat
The war, as such, has not ended, said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, answering questions from international media representatives. According to him, the war continues perpetually, and as long as this government remains in power, that war will continuously continue. “Some characterise it as a creeping war, and we see what it means with the events in Tavush. Naturally, our desire is to stop the war and enter into a real peace process, not a simulated peace. The war that started in 2020 in our country has not stopped; it continues continuously, not only in a physical sense but also in a spiritual and moral sense,” said the Archbishop. According to him, foreign relations have failed in all directions. The movement’s program is precisely to stop the war; their goal is to achieve real peace that will no longer be violated. “Our emphasis, I think, is intense: on the level of negotiations, on the level of having an exemplary agenda, on humanitarian aspects, and so on. Yes, we are coming to establish peace, to eliminate the entire existence of this destructive war,” said the Archbishop.
The Names of the Transitional Government Members Are Known and Will Be Published When the Time Comes: Archbishop Bagrat
Our relationships should be very reliable, partner-like, and predictable, not as spontaneous as they are today, said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, answering a journalist’s observation that Armenian-Russian relations have worsened not only due to our fault but also because of the policies conducted by the other side. The Archbishop noted that they have many questions for the Russian side, which is unequivocal. However, today, there are bilateral legal contractual relationships, not unilateral ones, and they need to be regulated. “Regarding developments in other directions, naturally, our relations should develop without the idea of ‘anti-.’ We cannot develop relations based on conflict or opposition. The most important issue is that the core of all relations should be the Armenian agenda, Armenia’s interests, not simply based on events but comprehensively planned, stable, with the reputation of a reliable partner. Not just tilting this way or that, north or south, east or west. With a clear line and direction, always maintaining the core: Armenia and the Armenian agenda. What will serve our lives,” said the Archbishop. Responding to the journalist’s observation that many today refrain and avoid coming to the square because the movement does not publish future actions and the composition of the interim government, the Archbishop replied that this question has both the right to exist and not to exist: “When we mention people’s names, unfortunately, our reality is such that people simply become targets. We do not even know whether we will harm these people or be useful to the movement. Many condition the issue with this or that person, be it my person or another’s. Today, the issue is Armenia, our life, our existence; this is an existential battle and struggle,” said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. According to him, if people see that this is an existential struggle within this big question, they join without any other justification. “I am not talking about blind following, but the logic of our steps suggests that. When the time comes, according to our thoughts, agenda, and program, we do not exclude naming names either. Those names exist, we have talked to those names, we have also met with many professional groups in advance, many analyses have been done. From each group, individuals have been presented with various concepts, as well as names, and those names exist in the arena,” said the Archbishop.
We Have Many Questions for the Russian Side, but We Also Have Legal and Contractual Regulations and Relationships: Archbishop Bagrat to BBC Azerbaijan
Today, relations with Azerbaijan do not exist; there are no negotiations or relationships, said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, responding to a question from the correspondent of BBC’s Azerbaijani service. “We are proponents of real negotiations, and they should take place with real people in real relationships, not simply on an imitative principle. All these relations should take place with an exemplary agenda. We need to bring relations to the logic of negotiations and not to these events that occur under coercion and threat of force. We are talking about real peace, not the ongoing war to this day,” said Archbishop Bagrat. Answering the journalist’s question about the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Armenia’s borders and Zvartnots Airport, the Archbishop said: “Armenian-Russian relations are not experiencing their best days if not their worst. We have many questions for the Russian side, but we also have legal and contractual regulations and relationships. All these questions should take place on the basis of mutual understanding, mutual trust, and a constructive level. It should also be accepted that relations are not destroyed or failed unilaterally; they occur bilaterally and should be based on mutual understanding. Whether it is Russia or other partners, it is not a private issue, not just one episode; our attitude is about the entire package.”
The Power of Law is Often Greater than the Power of the Law: Archbishop Bagrat
This movement is more than a change of power; it is a movement with civilisational, value-based content, said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, answering a journalist’s question about how he plans to become the leader of Armenia, considering his Canadian citizenship and the lack of votes in the National Assembly for impeachment. “For us, it is not about reaching power, but more: it is a movement to make changes in the field of general life, values, public perception, and behaviour. Yes, we will do everything for everything to proceed legally, respecting the laws, but we should not forget that while respecting the power of the law, often the power of law is greater than the power of the law. This is a popular movement, and that movement, with all the criteria I mentioned, will reach its logical conclusion. Our Lord also says that man is not made for the law, but the law is made for man,” said the Archbishop.
Azerbaijan Wants to Eliminate the OSCE Minsk Group’s Mediation Mission Format to Impose Unilateral Concessions: Archbishop Bagrat
There is no real process of demarcation and delimitation. Today, a policy of unilateral concessions is being implemented under coercion and the threat of force, said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan during a press conference with international media. He noted that our goal should be to change this logic and reach real negotiations. The Archbishop emphasised the importance of the OSCE’s mediating presence in these negotiations. “Real negotiations should be in accordance with international standards, as well as with the involvement of guarantors. The OSCE is an essential platform that can become an important mediator for these negotiations. Today, there is no demarcation and delimitation; there is the threat of force, unilateral concessions, and coercion. Under such conditions, peace cannot exist. If we strive for peace, our borders must be secured, and that peace must be defined. If they want to sign a peace agreement, then peace must be defined. It is illogical to do demarcation and delimitation and then decide to sign peace without guarantors. This is out of logic,” said the Archbishop. Responding to the journalist’s observation that Azerbaijan wants Armenia to abandon the idea of the OSCE Minsk Group, do you want to return to the Minsk Group format, the Archbishop responded: “International guarantors and the already existing platform will make that consolidation, and the negotiations will proceed on a more transparent and reliable level. There will be no coercion, threats, or unilateral concessions. What is happening today is just that. And that is why Azerbaijan wants to eliminate this mediating or guarantor mission. Eliminate it altogether and follow the path that exists now. The illusion, the imitation, is given that there are negotiations, but in reality, negotiations do not take place. The world has developed that system, that possibility, which in this case is the OSCE Minsk Group,” said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan.
