Against the backdrop of current geopolitical developments, the security threats created around Armenia are becoming more immediate and extremely dangerous on a daily basis.
The anti-Armenian, militaristic and expansionist statements and actions of Azerbaijan’s leadership are taking on an increasingly unrestrained and are becoming ultimatums. Taking advantage of the geopolitical instability and having the unconditional and full support of Turkey, Azerbaijan is doubling its military capabilities and is trying to force Armenia to meet its destructive demands, whether with the consent of the current Armenian regime or by unleashing a new war.
The Armenian authorities, in their turn, by frightening their own people with the possibility of an impending war—and the inevitable defeat in that war—have embarked on substantiating and satisfying the endless demands of the Turkish-Azerbaijani axis. Thus, the essence of the supposedly best strategy proposed by this regime to avoid war is defeatism and concessions for the sake of a so-called peace, the “guarantor” of which will in reality be the Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance.
There is no need for illusions: an unprotected peace is a veiled security hinged on the whims of the enemy.
Peace can be irreversible and stable only under conditions of a fair settlement of disputed issues and military-political balance. Otherwise, it is a capitulation and a harbinger of a new war.
The historical mission of the Armenian people and their national forces is to rid themselves from capitulation or the destructive dilemma of war and to establish a true, irreversible and just peace. The renunciation of our inalienable rights and vital interests will not bring peace, but rather the loss of Armenian identity and Armenia’s statehood.
In order to avoid further and more irreversible losses and overcome the existential challenges facing Armenia, it is necessary to make a breakthrough in the situation by forming a new kind of government and, for the sake of the country’s advancement, establish a path to a national state.
There is an urgent need to radically change the policies of the government in the following priority areas:
a) Coalescing all Armenian entities around the agenda of preserving Armenian identity and Armenia’s statehood.
By allowing the Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide, the ethnic cleansing and deprivation of the people of Artsakh unresolved and without consequences, an existential threat to Armenian identity, Armenia’s sovereignty looms large, and encourages the precedent of resolving issues through the use of force.
b) In order to ensure nationwide participation in defense of the homeland, urgent reforms to the Armed Forces and defense and security apparatus are needed as part a pan-Armenian priority agenda, taking into into consideration the existing challenges.
c) Adopt a foreign policy with a qualitatively different approach, aimed at the formation of a new security structure and the restoration of diplomatic positions. This implies the establishment of strategic relations with countries and alliances pursuing common geopolitical goals, whose direct interests are the existence of a viable Armenian state. With this approach, strengthening strategic allied relations with Russia, concluding a military-political alliance with Iran, developing complementary relations with other power centers outside the region and the West must become priorities.
Despite internal and external conspiratorial efforts, the fight for the dignity and existence of the Armenian Nation must prevail.
We call on all national forces to unite their efforts to remove the current unpatriotic authorities, neutralizing the threats to the Armenian people and our statehood, forming a new type of national government, and building a strong Armenia with pan-Armenian capabilities.
The ARF is ready to cooperate with all those who share these approaches and are ready to fight for a dignified and secure Armenia and Artsakh.
ARF Bureau
January 18, 2025
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