Artsakh President Addresses Azerbaijan Talks, Confirms Contact with Imprisoned Officials

Recent claims about alleged negotiations between representatives of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Azerbaijan have sparked controversy and prompted responses from the office of Artsakh's President, Samvel Shahramanyan. Vladimir Grigoryan, an advisor to the Artsakh president, addressed these assertions during an interview with Azatutyun, emphasizing that no negotiations are currently underway.

Grigoryan clarified that if negotiations were indeed occurring, the President's office would formally announce them. He assured transparency in such matters, noting, "There is nothing to hide."

The developments come after former Secretary of Artsakh Security Council, Samvel Babayan, made claims regarding negotiations involving Samvel Shahramanyan and Azerbaijani representatives. In response, Shahramanyan's advisor dismissed Babayan's assertions, stating that they have no intention to respond directly to his claims. Instead, they called upon Babayan to disclose the source of his information.

Addressing the possibility of technical communications on specific issues, particularly concerning prisoners in Baku, Grigoryan hinted that while contacts might exist for such matters, they don't consider these interactions as formal negotiations. He emphasized that any contact, if occurring, might involve technical issues or attempts to establish connections, but doesn't qualify as formal negotiations.

"If the former presidents are contacted or other citizens of our Artsakh, who are in captivity in this case, or a certain connection is created, I cannot say whether we can consider it contact or not. They are technical problems, it seems to me that we can also assume that they can be purely technical issues, that is, if they call from there, or from here they try to establish some kind of contact, I don't know to what extent we can consider it contact . Naturally, we cannot consider it a negotiation, but I think we cannot consider it a contact either," he said.

Furthermore, reports surfaced indicating that Artsakh President Shahramanyan had conversations with captured high-ranking officials from Artsakh held in Baku. Davit Galstyan, head of the opposition "Justice" faction of the Artsakh Parliament, corroborated this information during discussions with "Azatutyun." He stated that Shahramanyan had communicated with the detained officials, conveying that they were unharmed and had not faced torture.

In response to Babayan's claim of ongoing negotiations between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, Galstyan counter argued by highlighting Babayan's past actions and negotiations without proper authority. Galstyan suggested that if there were any negotiations on Artsakh's behalf, they should be led either by President Shahramanyan or someone authorized by him.

The National Security Service's recent refusal to open a criminal case against Babayan, based on a report by coalition member of parliament Lilit Galstyan, added complexity to the situation. Galstyan questioned the service's stance, urging caution regarding any separate negotiations and emphasizing the need for official representation in any such talks.

The claims and counterclaims highlight the complexities surrounding the region's diplomatic efforts, leaving uncertainties about the nature and existence of formal negotiations between Artsakh and Azerbaijan.