Artak Beglaryan: While authorities declare their commitment to  democratic principles, these principles are being trampled in Armenia

ArmInfo.  The heads of delegations and guests of the 8th European Political Community Summit were "greeted" with banners and protesters, who drew the attention of  European leaders to the problems of the people of Artsakh and  democracy in Armenia.

In a conversation with journalists, former Artsakh State Minister  Artak Beglaryan noted that while the country's authorities declare  their commitment to democratic principles, these principles are, in  fact, being trampled in Armenia: there are political prisoners,  violent pressure is observed, provocations are carried out against  the church, freedom of speech is violated, etc. "There's a lot of  talk about peace and protecting the rights of the people of Artsakh,  but the reality is that all our rights are being trampled upon, and  the authorities are the ones behind it all," said Artak Beglaryan,  adding that the protesters are demanding that European leaders keep  these issues top of mind and at least be aware of what's happening in  Armenia.

These demands include protecting the rights of the people of Artsakh,  the return of Armenian prisoners of war from Azerbaijan, and the  protection of the cultural and historical heritage of the Armenian  population of Artsakh. All these issues, as Artak Beglaryan noted,  will be raised, despite the lack of any expectations.  "I don't think  we'll achieve success with this one protest, but I believe that with  consistent steps, including holding similar events at every  opportunity, gradually, step by step, we can expect the desired  result," said the former state minister.

He added that France, which recently began restoring relations with  Azerbaijan, may insist on resolving the aforementioned issues, but  everyone understands that the main problem lies in the Republic of  Armenia. It should be noted that yesterday evening, French President  Emmanuel Macron stated that he would discuss the release of Armenian  prisoners of war with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.