Prime Minister speaks of Karabakh's growing economy, and opposes retreat on national issues

Ara Harutiunian discusses policy and politics

by Emil Sanamyan

Published: Wednesday November 18, 2009

Ara Harutiunian, prime minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, in his office in Stepanakert. Armenian Reporter

Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh - Prime Minister Ara Harutiunian and other Nagorno-Karabakh officials arrived in the United States this week ahead of the annual Thanksgiving telethon organized by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. On November 5, Washington editor Emil Sanamyan spoke with Mr. Harutiunian in his office in Stepanakert. A translation of that conversation follows. (Mr. Harutiunian's bio appears at the end of this interview.)

Emil Sanamyan: Mr. Prime Minister, earlier this week you made a number of statements rejecting the territorial concessions envisioned under what is known as the Madrid proposal for a Karabakh settlement, unveiled by France, Russia, and the United States in July. At the time the NKR Foreign Ministry broadly criticized the proposal, but your comments were more specific. Could you elaborate on NKR's position with regard to that proposal?

Ara Harutiunian: The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has not been formally presented with the Madrid proposal. We have seen the statement and media commentary, but as long as we are not formally presented with a proposal, we cannot officially accept or reject it.

That said, we have a position repeatedly articulated by our president and other officials, a position that the international community needs to appreciate.

First, the people of Artsakh have already exercised their right to self-determination.

Second, in a popular referendum, we adopted our constitution, which specifies that Artsakh's territory is its present-day territory comprising 11,400 sq km (4,400 sq mi), and it is not the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

Of course, we support the negotiation process and understand that negotiations imply mutual compromises. But in the end, the negotiations can produce results only when Artsakh authorities become involved. Without our full participation, there will be no results.

Protocols

ES: Another issue generating a lot of debate is the terms of the Armenia-Turkey protocols signed on October 10. The Armenian government has invested a lot of effort into that diplomatic initiative and there has also been a lot of criticism of the protocols both in Armenia and the diaspora. What is your view of that process?

AH: Generally we would welcome any step that contributes to Armenia's economic development. But such a step should not come with preconditions or disregard our national dignity and identity.

The future of our country depends on economic development. Armenians are business savvy, and if they don't have opportunities in the homeland, they will find them elsewhere; emigration leads to demographic problems.

It is obvious that a Turkey-Armenia border opening would create new opportunities for development. Those who argue that [Turkish imports] would damage our economy are not correct. The same argument, after all, could be made against countries we have open borders with, Georgia and Iran. But that is not the case, and reflects a backward-looking policy.

Border opening with Turkey is important economically, but once again it should come without preconditions, without historical revisionism, and without a link to Artsakh negotiations.

If any one of these conditions is not met, we will be opposed and will find the signing of these documents to be senseless. But as far as I know, the president of the Republic of Armenia, in all his statements, has ruled out any compromises on these issues.

I would stress once again that a solution to the Artsakh issue depends on Artsakh itself. Any deals reached contrary to the will of Artsakh people will remain on paper.

You will recall this is what happened when former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosian agreed to the return of Kelbajar [after its capture in April 1993]. Those efforts were in vain. Moreover, our army was able to liberate Tigranakert, Kovsakan, and other areas [later in 1993].

Confident about security

ES: As prime minister you deal mostly with economic issues, but economics and security are quite interconnected. Azerbaijan is continuing to arm itself and has repeatedly expressed aggressive intentions. But there is little Armenian criticism of this militarization and there is virtually no criticism of countries selling weapons to Azerbaijan. Why not?

AH: We of course do not welcome Azerbaijan's policy that allocates so much money for its armed forces and weapons purchases, but there is also little we can do to influence this process.

Instead, we do what we can to make Azerbaijan think twice before launching hostilities. We have an efficient defense system that is not limited to today's standing army. Every citizen of Artsakh is a [reservist] soldier and will defend his motherland the way we did in the early 1990s.

Additionally, it is important to note that, say, the price of a modern tank is in millions of dollars, while antitank weapons cost only several thousand. We are not preparing for an aggression; we are preparing for defense [so our costs are lower]. However, we also have serious counterattack capabilities.

Each year, we implement large-scale programs aimed at increasing capabilities of our army, and strengthening our defense perimeter.

Azerbaijan can make the calculations and knows that the Artsakh Army will remain a guarantor of regional peace and stability for a long time. We have made it clear that a new war would be very damaging for Azerbaijan not just in human and financial terms, but also through loss of territory.

We are confident about our capabilities and ready to confront any aggressor.

Growing the diaspora-homeland link

ES: Earlier today I visited the Artsakh History Museum where a guide showed me a picture of your older brother who was killed in the war. This subject of war of course remains very close to everyone in Artsakh.