RPA executive body, ARF Supreme body issue statements over Armenia-Azerbaijan delimitation
ArmInfo.The executive body of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and the Supreme body of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun made statements in connection with the delimitation process launched between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Thus, the RPA statement notes that the agreements reached as a result of the meeting on April 19, 2024 of the commissions on the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan indicate that the Armenian authorities, under the threat of the use of force, continue their capitulatory policy, which calls into question the security and very existence of the country.
"According to this agreement, the delimitation of the settlements of Baghanis, Voskepar, Kirants and Berkaber with Azerbaijan will be considered final, regardless of the completion of the process of further delimitation of the entire border. This means that territories of strategic importance, which are currently under the control of the Armenian armed forces, will come under the control of Azerbaijan. Our Armed Forces will withdraw from the area of these four villages and give way to Azerbaijani border troops. In addition, vital infrastructure for the local population will come under Azerbaijan's control. It is noteworthy that the Armenian authorities are making this unilateral concession in conditions where Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that it is not going to leave the territories occupied by the Republic of Armenia," noted the RPA Executive Body.
At the same time, the RPA is confident that such partial delimitation is unacceptable, since it only means unilateral concessions to the Azerbaijani side. According to the RPA, the process of border delimitation should begin not with actual territorial changes, but with determining the order of delimitation of all sections of the border, their delimitation, and only after this transfer of demarcation to the area.
"Azerbaijan clearly stated that after solving this problem, it will turn to the issue of returning the so-called enclaves. Obviously, these territories, which are legally the territory of the Republic of Armenia, will also be transferred to Azerbaijan by the current authorities with the same "justification". In the Tavush region, this will mean that the border villages will be surrounded by Azerbaijan, with all the disastrous consequences that follow.
The Armenian authorities are trying to present their capitulatory step as a success, referring to the point of the agreement, according to which the parties in the border delimitation process will be guided by the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991. This is an outright fraud, since the text of the same agreement states that other settlements may be included in a future peace agreement. The Azerbaijani side has never hidden that in the process of border delimitation it will be guided not by international law, but by the principle of "justice," the Republicans noted.
The RPA added that international practice shows that in the process of delimitation, optimization of the border is extremely important, the purpose of which is to create conditions for the traditional economic activities of residents of border settlements, the operation of existing transport, land reclamation, and utility infrastructures, and the preservation of religious sites.
"It is obvious that as a result of the policy pursued by the Armenian authorities, these vital values for the population will be destroyed. Despite the fact that Nikol Pashinyan directly stated that Azerbaijan will start a war against Armenia if the territory under the control of Armenia is not transferred to Azerbaijan, the collective West welcomes the agreements of the meeting on April 19, 2024 with undisguised delight. It is more than obvious that such a process cannot lead to the establishment of a just and stable peace between the two countries.
According to the press release about the meeting on April 19, 2024 of the commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan on delimitation issues, as a result of the meeting, a protocol was signed, but the text of this protocol has not been published," the statement continues.
The position of the RPA regarding delimitation processes is clearly expressed in the draft statement of the opposition factions presented recently in the National Assembly, which was rejected by the ruling faction. In particular: "The delimitation and demarcation between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan must be in accordance with the best international practices and norms and must be based on the UN Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), the Helsinki Final Act (1975) and conceptual norms of the OSCE Secretariat document "Delimitation and demarcation of state borders, urgent issues and solutions" (2017), including the fundamental principle according to which any international agreement reached through the threat or use of force is invalid.
Delimitation and demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be carried out in an atmosphere of trust, the most important prerequisites for the formation of which are the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, the cessation of aggression by Azerbaijan, the return of all prisoners of war and detainees, the solution of existing humanitarian problems and the preservation of cultural heritage. Moreover, delimitation and demarcation between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan can in no way limit the right of the people of Artsakh to collectively return to Nagorno-Karabakh under international guarantees, as well as predetermine the final status of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)."
In turn, the ARF statement notes that the current government of Armenia under the leadership of Nikol Pashinyan announced another state-harmful and criminally punishable process, according to which the territories of the Tavush region will be transferred to Azerbaijan. The ARF also expressed support for the Tavush residents who are protesting against the unilateral concessions of the Armenian authorities.
The ARF noted that the border demarcation commission, headed by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Mher Grigoryan, does not have the authority to give consent or make a decision on the transfer of any territory under the sovereign jurisdiction of the Republic of Armenia to another state or to determine the line of the state border of the Republic of Armenia . And any other action that goes against the vested authority is an abuse of power and a criminal act.
"The decision to delimitate the Tavush region and begin actual work in this direction was made not only with complete disregard for advanced international practice in such matters, prohibited by international law in conditions of the threat or use of force, ignoring the security of Armenia, goes against the legislation of the Republic of Armenia, including the law "On the State Border".
The indicated territories are under the sovereign jurisdiction of the Republic of Armenia, on which the laws of the Republic of Armenia are in force, the Armed Forces of Armenia are deployed and in accordance with Article 205 of the Constitution, which entered into force on December 1, November 22, 2015, issues related to any changes in the territory of the Republic of Armenia are resolved exclusively through a referendum," the ARF added.
The ARF again recalled that delimitation and demarcation between the two countries are consistent processes. "Firstly, according to international law and based on experience, a complete delimitation of the border must be carried out between the two countries. If this document provides for changes in any section of the border, then a referendum must be held. And only if the results of the referendum are available, demarcation is carried out.
Until the approval of the said referendum, the Armed Forces of Armenia are obliged to fulfill their constitutional functions to ensure the defense, security, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of the Republic of Armenia.
Accordingly, we declare and warn Nikol Pashinyan and all persons involved in the process that without a referendum, any change (transfer to another state) of any territory under the sovereign jurisdiction of the Republic of Armenia, or any actions carried out in this direction, is not only invalid, but also is considered to be contrary to the constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia and a particularly serious crime against state security, punishable by up to life imprisonment," the ARF statement says.
On Friday, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported that during the meeting of the commissions of the two countries on border delimitation issues that took place on April 19, "the commissions have preliminary agreed upon separate sections of the borderline immediately between the settlements of Baghanis (Republic of Armenia) - Baghanis Ayrum (Republic of Azerbaijan), Voskepar (Republic of Armenia) - Ashaghi Askipara (Republic of Azerbaijan), Kirants (Republic of Armenia) - Kheyrimli (Republic of Azerbaijan) and Berkaber (Republic of Armenia) - Ghizilhajili (Republic of Azerbaijan), in order to bring them into compliance with the legally justified interrepublican border that existed within the Soviet Union at the moment of its dissolution." Thus, the Armenian authorities decided to unilaterally transfer the territories of 4 Armenian villages to Azerbaijan without any guarantees.