Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s change of stance on the Karabakh settlement

On March 21, Armenia’s Public Television’s Off the agenda program hosted the first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan. During the program, the first president spoke about his and Armenian National Congress-People’s Party of Armenia alliance position on the Karabakh settlement.

Referring to the settlement program, the first president, in particular, spoke about the need to concede the adjacent regions of Artsakh to Azerbaijan, saying that it is planned to accomplish in the first phase. At the same time, however, Levon Ter-Petrosyan avoided the reporter’s question about the guarantee that in the next stages of negotiations Azerbaijan will not abandon its commitments and will recognize the independence of Artsakh.

Ter-Petrosyan said during the interview that today the negotiations are based on the Madrid principles, stating that there is no other solution for Karabakh issue settlement.

“The international community’s proposed plan is in fact a normal, balanced plan, and if Armenia declares its readiness to sign the document today, Azerbaijan can not reject,” said Ter-Petrosyan.

Despite these claims, the first president had a completely different approach years ago and publicly criticized the Madrid principles, as well as today’s government involved in negotiations at the time.

In particular, during the election campaign of 2012 parliamentary elections, Ter-Petrosyan has repeatedly stated that within the Madrid principles underlies the plan of giving autonomous status to Karabakh within Azerbaijan.

Accusing the government and personally Serzh Sargsyan, Ter-Petrosyan said that the same plan was offered to him at Lisbon, which, however, he vetoed.

But today Ter-Petrosyan’s views seem to have drastically shifted. He declares that the authorities are consistent in carrying out the plan developed on the basis of the Madrid principles and that they – Ter-Petrosyan and Armenian National Congress-People’s Party of Armenia alliance, approve it.