"Fact" daily writes:
The past year was a difficult and challenging year from the point of view of domestic and foreign policy, and it is difficult to mention any achievement that has provided progress for our country.
And since there are no achievements, the authorities throw artificial topics into the field.
In other words, there is simply nothing to say, and they aim to "cover up" the fact that they set new records only through failures.
In addition to the latest scandalous topic regarding the fact that the negotiation process always referred to the handing over of Artsakh to Azerbaijan, a topic that Pashinyan simply "dropped", there were also other manipulations during the year.
One of them refers to the border demarcation in the Tavush region, but it should be noted that as a result of that process, the positions built by the Armenian side were left to Azerbaijan, which in turn gives the enemy a strategic advantage.
But in Syunik and Gegharkunik, no border demarcation took place, and Azerbaijani troops continue to occupy the border areas of Armenia.
And in the near future, there is no theoretical possibility that the Azerbaijani side can withdraw its armed forces.
Pashinyan declares that Armenia does not face the problem of returning those territories by military means, and Azerbaijan shows the importance of its military power every time in order to extract new concessions.
In other words, the half-finished border demarcation process cannot be considered an achievement in any way, especially the border demarcation-demarcation regulation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which is mentioned so much by government deputies.
That regulation and agreements on border delimitation are null and void, considering the fact that Azerbaijan has become a master at breaking agreements.
The representatives of the authorities may ask how it happened that we had relatively less border tension during 2024. But this question has a separate answer.
In the period following the Artsakh war, Azerbaijan repeatedly resorted to aggression, but this time Baku was prepared for less border tension, as the COP29 climate conference was to be held in November.
Even the RA Foreign Ministry responded that Azerbaijan intends to launch aggression against Armenia after the COP29 climate conference. The year 2024 was also notable for the fact that the subject of Artsakh was removed from the agenda of negotiations, and Armenia continued to exchange offers with Azerbaijan in an online format.
Although the authorities assured that the conclusion of the peace agreement was very close, the agreement was never signed.
And Azerbaijan puts forward one after another new demands towards Armenia, starting with changing the Constitution and ending with the theme of ensuring the "return" of Azerbaijanis.
And the agreed points of the agreement, which the authorities allegedly want to present as an achievement, do not really have any significance for Baku, because the Azerbaijani side declares that until all the points are agreed, nothing is agreed.
The past year was also notable for the fact that Armenia could not make achievements on the international stage.
The relations with Russia continued to remain tense, and the support given to Armenia from the West was conditioned only in the context of the anti-Russian policy, as a result of which we again found ourselves in the field of geopolitical conflict.
So, the year 2024 will be remembered for Armenia as another year of disappointments and unfulfilled goals. In short, another wasted year.
ARTHUR KARAPETIAN
