More Signs of Tension Between Armenian, Karabakh Leaders

Neither Pashinyan nor other Armenian government officials publicly commented on the political situation in Stepanakert. Some Pashinyan allies and supporters criticized Vardanyan in recent days, implying that his exit is necessary for ending the blockade.

Meanwhile, Harutyunyan on Monday, January 16, met with Karabakh lawmakers and insisted that “there is no political crisis in Artsakh.” According to his press office, the Karabakh president said the authorities in Stepanakert should address “internal political problems” only after overcoming the humanitarian crisis caused by the month-long blockade. The office gave no other details of the meeting.

Vardanyan, 54, is a prominent Armenian billionaire who made his fortune in Russia in the 1990s and 2000s. He was appointed as Karabakh’s state minister (basically prime minister) in November two months after renouncing his Russian citizenship.

Azerbaijan’s government condemned Vardanyan’s appointment, with Aliyev claiming that the former investment banker was sent to Karabakh by Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted that Moscow “has nothing to do with Mr. Vardanyan” when he met with his visiting Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov on December 23 less than two weeks after Azerbaijani government-backed protesters blocked the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia. Speaking at a joint news conference with Lavrov, Bayramov said Vardanyan must step down and leave Karabakh.

Vardanyan has made defiant statements throughout the blockade. He has said that the Karabakh Armenians will continue to resist Baku’s efforts to regain full control over the territory.

Talk to Azerbaijan

Pashinyan on January 12 urged Nagorno-Karabakh’s leaders to tone down their rhetoric and negotiate with Azerbaijan in order to end the ongoing Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

“Political statements that make the situation even more deadlocked should be avoided because statements without a clear vision of reaching the end point are of no use,” said Pashinyan. ”And then a political conversation between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan should begin, and our partners in Nagorno-Karabakh should not allow anyone to accuse them of disrupting a constructive conversation or making such a conversation impossible.”

“The closure of the Lachine Corridor is a provocation, the ultimate goal of which is a new military escalation, and no steps desirable for those developing the military escalation scenario should be taken,” he added during a weekly session of his cabinet.

Pashinyan spoke the day after Karabakh’s government and main political factions criticized his statements on the conflict with Azerbaijan and, saying that they undermine the Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination. In a joint statement, they pledged to continue to fight for independence.

Meanwhile, Alen Simonyan, the Armenian parliament speaker and a top Pashinyan ally, made it clear that Yerevan will not negotiate with Azerbaijan on the reopening of the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia. The Karabakh leadership negotiated with Baku shortly after Azerbaijani protesters blocked the road on December 12, he said, adding that the talks should resume.

Simonyan claimed that Baku may be keen to “draw” the Armenian government into such discussions in order to demand that Armenia open a similar corridor that would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave.

“I presume that this is what the Lachin Corridor was closed for,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

The speaker also complained that despite its repeated promises given to the Armenian side, Russia is not doing enough to end the Azerbaijani blockade of the vital highway which is supposed to be controlled by Russian peacekeepers.