Recent Azerbaijani military incursions into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, via the Syunik and Gegharkunik provincial borders, are testament to Nikol Pashinyan’s inability to secure the national borders of the Republic of Armenia and to safeguard our nation’s beleaguered population.
Pashinyan’s “application plea” to the Collective Security Treaty Organization(CSTO)–without first even attempting to secure vital territorial integrity through the deployment of Armenia’s own armed forces–brings squarely into question Pashinyan’s even rudimentary capabilities in ensuring Armenia’s sovereignty.
It is clear that the crisis in Armenia is truly existential.
Reports from border areas in the Syunik Province indicate that representatives of the Armenian government had disarmed local residents, prior to the invasions, leaving them bereft of any means of defense and completely vulnerable to Azeri Turkish machinations.
Let us remember the 5000 dead, the 10,000 wounded and maimed, the 2000 missing in action, and the more than 250 Armenian soldiers still illegally held, abused, and intermittently killed by the government of Azerbaijan.
These same Azerbaijani armed forces have now invaded Armenia proper—an internationally recognized sovereign state–with nary a shot fired or any type of military act or standard border defense from the Republic of Armenia.
Compounding this unprecedented national security debacle is Azerbaijan’s intention to begin “large-scale military training exercises” on May 16 near the Armenian border.
While echoing Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan’s calls for the immediate formation of humanitarian security zones around the Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces, it has become evident that the only key to Armenian statehood and survival is the removal of Nikol Pashinyan from office.
We welcome the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Armenia Supreme Body’s decision to form the “Armenia Election Alliance” (“Hayastan Tashink”) as a path to unify efforts to secure our borders and to stabilize the country. We also remain fervently concerned about Armenia’s ability to withstand the threats it now faces from this very dangerous present moment up until election day.
As such, we give our full and complete support to the ARF Armenia Supreme Body to chart the course ahead in the spirit of all the great men and women who trod this path before us, securing our first independence, liberating Artsakh, and serving the Armenian Cause globally.
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western USA
Central Committee
May 15, 2021
