"Yes, it's a surrender" - Levon Ter-Petrosyan

Baku/27.09.22/Turan: "Now is the moment of serious decision-making. Agreements should be signed with both Azerbaijan and Turkey. There is no alternative. If the document is not signed, if peace is not concluded with these neighbors, we will not be able to restore Armenia of the Soviet times." The first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan made this statement to the Armenian Public TV on September 26.

The opposition believes that by removing Pashinyan, painful decisions can be avoided. This is naivety. Whoever comes, he will sign an even worse document, he emphasized.

According to Ter-Petrosyan, Pashinyan is afraid to sign the document, because he will be called a "traitor". "Yes, it is a surrender, such are the circumstances. There is no tragedy, stronger states have also been through it," he said.

If there is no consolidation in the Armenian society and internal unrest continues, the demands of Turkey and Azerbaijan will increase. "If we continue for six months therein, we will not have a country," he said.

It is impossible to count on Russia's help, because Moscow has lost its influence in the South Caucasus. "The issue of Artsakh has already been resolved, I don't want to deprive people of hope, but now Armenia is not an actor in Artsakh. The key to solving the Artsakh issue was in the hands of Russia before this war, now Russia has many problems," Ter-Petrosyan stressed".

This interview of Ter-Petrosyan caused a violent reaction in Armenia. At the same time, important details of the meeting of the former Presidents of Armenia with the Catholicos were revealed. According to the Armenian media and telegram channels, at this meeting Ter-Petrosyan offered to accept the necessity of peace treaty and the recognition of Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan in exchange for guarantees of security for the Armenian population. However, the other participants (Robert Kocharyan, Serge Sargsyan, Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan) did not express support. 

As judged by the criticism of this idea from the Kocharyan-funded media, it was he who rejected the idea of nationwide consolidation.

With such a disengaged and undermined political system, Armenia faces even more difficult days and more difficult decisions, Levon Ter-Petrosyan believes. -02B-