The audacious and the bizarre

 Vahe H Apelian

 

 On November 9, 2020, at the immediate aftermath of disastrous defeat of the second Artsakh war, I scripted the following on my Facebook page:

“I ALSO SWOLLOW THE BITTER PILL as I continue to support the governments of Armenia and Artsakh as they swallow the bitter pill as well, as the rest of us do. I share their pain. I concur with my cousin Jack Chelebian M.D. Russia remains the power broker in the Caucasus, realistically gives something to gain and lose to the contending rivals: Azerbaijan gains enough (but not everything they wished for) to declare victory. Armenia could say we saved half of Artsakh in return for peace and stability and opportunity for economic development, Turkey could crow some level of victory but Russia would hold the cards in the Caucasus as orchestrator and sole guarantor of the deal. Yes, no other party in Armenia has any grounds to claim they could have managed the past 6 weeks any better. Talk is cheap, especially when you’re in the opposition. Time to strengthen what is left rather than tearing it and us further apart. Whatever is left, we could not have achieved without the sacrifice of those who gave their lives. We just cannot forfeit their sacrifice. Time to win the no less, the other difficult task, peace, security and prosperity for the coming generations as we continue to integrate ourselves in the Caucasus having prevailed the gross Soviet injustice to the extent we could.”

Time proved that I too was too optimistic for having believed that not all was lost and claim that Azerbaijan gained enough but not everything they wished to declare total victory and that Armenia could declare that it saved half of Artsakh and kept the umbilical cord, the Lachin corridor, at the cost of thousands of lives. 

It never occurred to me that the FINAL MORTAl BLOW was yet to come. 

Three years later, in September 2023, Azerbaijan attacked the half-starved Republic of Artsakh after months of blockade and on September 28, or immediately after, a Russian helicopter flew the last president of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan and his immediate entourage to their safety in Armenia after having Shahramnyan sign a decree for the dissolution of  all Artsakh state institutions by 1 January 2024, thus bringing the existence of the republic to an end. 

 All these catastrophic historical developments happened under the watch of the so called Russian peace keeping forces – say President Vladimir Putin - who not only ignored Arayik Harutyunyan plea for help but also betrayed him and seven other Russophile Artskah officials and allowed Azerbaijan to abduct them and have them languishing in dungeons that are the prisons  in Baku.

They are:

Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan

Artsakh Foreign Minster Davit Babayan

Artsakh Defense Army Deputy Commander Davit Manukyan

Artsakh Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan

Artsakh Presidents Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan; Arayik Harutyunyan.

Artskah Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan

Coming to the title: the audacious and the bizarre.

Samvel Shahramyan was elected president of Artsakh on September 10, 2023. In his inaugural speech he said:  “Artsakh and Armenia should have a direct transport connection, the Lachin Corridor. Contrary to Baku's claims, the latter has been closed for a long time and should be opened. Other regional roads should also be launched, but they cannot replace the Lachine Corridor or be seen as an alternative to it.” He elaborated further by stating that: “Stepanakert should negotiate with Baku. Moreover, in this matter, both the Russian Federation and the collective West are ready to provide a platform and act as a mediator, which Azerbaijan is categorically against” (see note 2). But on September 28, eighteen days later he signed the decree for the dissolution of the Republic of Artskah. He is free in Armenia, courtesy to Russian “peace keeping” forces that saw his safe passage to Yerevan, Armenia on their helicopter. But the other Artsakh presidents and their colleagues languish in prison in Baku, Azerbaijan.

 In the aftermath of the first Artsakh war, Vartan Oskanian took part in a quartet with Robert Kocharyan, Sezh Sargsyan, Vazken Sargisyan, and ousted president Levon Ter-Petrosyan (LTP) from office. It was under LTP’s watch that Armenia had prevailed in the Artsakh liberation war. But Levon Ter-Petrosyan was a realist and noted that “Unfortunately, Karabakh won not the war, but the battle. The war is won only when the enemy capitulates. The confusion of war and battle has brought many people into trouble,” and offered concession for a negotiated settlement of the Karabakh conflict to keep, in his own words,  “Karabakh Armenian. It was inhabited by Armenians for 3000 years and it should be inhabited by Armenians after 3000 years." After ousting LTP, Vartan Oskanian, as the FM in the successive Kocharyan governments, carried a hardline policy and set the course for hardline policy for settling the Karabagh conflict that eventually resulted in the ensuing depopulation.  But, In January of this year, Vartan Oskanian formed a group and has  been busy up to his ears for having Artsakh Armenians collectively repatriated.

Artsakh is now completely depopulated of its ethnic Armenians.

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Note 1:  President Arayik Harutyunyan's appeal for aid to Putin

http://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2024/10/artsakh-presidents-appeal-to-vladimir.html

Note 2: From Arayik Harutyunyan to Samvel Shahramanyan: What changed?

http://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2023/09/from-arayik-to-savel-what-changed.html

Note 3: Samvel Shahramanyan, an accidental figure

http://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2023/11/an-accidental-figure.html