ArmInfo. The economic security component included in the Washington Declaration has been crucial since 2020 in ensuring stability in the region. Armine Margaryan, expert on military-political issues and chairperson of the Center for Women and Global Security Architecture, expressed this viewpoint while referring to the declaration signed by the leaders of Armenia, the United States and Azerbaijan on August 9 in Washington DC.
According to her, the presence of American investments in the region will contribute to this. Additionally, the expert believes that the signed declaration will create a favorable environment for implementing the provisions that will be included in the "peace treaty" between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"Thanks to the declaration, issues will no longer be resolved by force, and the interaction of the parties will be carried out within the framework of the principles that Armenia has previously deemed fundamental, particularly taking into account the sovereignty of the countries. We must understand that it is signed not only by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also by the President of the United States," Margaryan noted. The expert also pointed out that with this declaration, Azerbaijan has, for the first time, recognized the Almaty Declaration, and thus acknowledged the borders of the countries as they were at the time of the collapse of the USSR in 1991. According to Margaryan, from this point of view, the declaration is a significant gain for Armenia. "Let me remind you, that this has been the official position of Armenia for a long time. And now it stands as one of Azerbaijan's biggest omissions. And from this point of view, the Washington document is a positive development for us," the expert noted.
Touching upon the fact that Armenia turned away from Russia, Margaryan noted that this happened due to t the Russian side playing the role of authoritarian management for a long time. As the expert clarified, the Russian side had been exerting equal pressure on both sides and received maximum benefit from it. Meanwhile, in her opinion, the deepening of relations with America, particularly, the signing of a document on strategic partnership with Armenia, brought Azerbaijan into the constructive field for the first time. "This, in my opinion, was our biggest problem, and it was solved," Margaryan believes. She believes that the statement of November 9 had many risks in the context of unblocking communications, as, according to her, the stances of Russia and Azerbaijan were identical on many issues. "Under these conditions, Armenia was left alone, as its main ally became its main threat. In this context, it is worth noting that it was Russia and Azerbaijan that were against the involvement of third countries in the region that could interfere in the agenda of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict," Margaryan concluded.
