Epress.am News from Armenia
The Armenian diaspora wields great influence on Armenia. Their stance on Nagorno Karabakh and the 1915 events in the Ottoman Empire is tough. No Armenian leader can ignore this fact, Analytical Center on Globalization and Regional Cooperation Director Stepan Grigoryan said in an interview with Baku-based Trend news agency.
“But I think that the authorities must make the final decision,” he added.
Grigoryan said that the Armenian authorities take into account the diaspora’s opinion in their decision-making process, particularly in terms of Armenian-Turkish relations.
“The diaspora is so strong that it affects not only Armenian issues, but even those with no direct relation, such as blocking the appointment of the US ambassador to Azerbaijan,” he said.
He added that it is necessary to divide the concept of the diaspora’s financial assistance and its political and spiritual influence. Lobbying aid is more important for Armenians than financial assistance. However, Grigoryan said it would be unwise to think that any outside party could fully dictate decisions to the Armenian authorities.
“I support the initiatives of Sargsyan to improve relations with Turkey and his attempts to solve our problems with Azerbaijan,” he said. “We must appreciate the fact that today the sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are negotiating.”
Although negotiations are difficult and complex and contain controversial nuances, it is important that the negotiation process has been restored and is developing rapidly, he said.
“I would not link the stalemate in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement with the Armenian-Turkish settlement,” he said. “Today, I do not see this kind of interdependence.”
When the negotiations were being held between Armenia and Turkey, everyone understood that the ratification of the protocols would be difficult, especially from the Turkish side, he said.
Azerbaijan’s negative position played a role, he said, adding that Azerbaijan’s opinion means a great deal for Ankara and its opinion must be considered during the reconciliation process.
“Although, I think if the border between Armenia and Turkey opens, Russian influence would be significantly reduced on Armenia,” he said. “This would positively impact the situation in general in the region.”
Even when Russia was in a dire crisis in the 1990s, its role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was great, the expert said.
“We, as two independent countries, must agree on Russia’s positive initiatives as a mediator,” he said. “However, at the same time, I think that Moscow must not be the sole mediator in resolving the process. We, as independent countries, must use this tool for conducting the bilateral Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue, not passing our problems on to someone else.”
He stressed that it is not advantageous for Armenia or Azerbaijan to allow the prevailing role in the region to belong to a conflict mediator — whoever it might be.
“This will inevitably lead to a narrowing of sovereignty,” he said.