ADDRESS TO THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE “BRIDGE OF PEACE” INITIATIVE
Aram Mkrtchyan, The United Armenian Senate Coordinator
Peace Through Law: The Hereditary Rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians as the Foundation of a Legitimate Treaty. “Modus Vivendi” — A Solid Basis for Regional Stability
Roundtable discussions between representatives of Azerbaijani and Armenian civil societies have commenced in Baku. As part of this initiative, Aram Mkrtchyan, coordinator of the All-Armenian Senate, sent a policy statement to the participants from Germany.
Distinguished Farhad Mamedov, Director of the South Caucasus Research Center ; distinguished Areg Kochinyan, President of the Research Center on Security Policy ; esteemed representatives of civil society and participants of the round table held in Baku from April 10 to 12, 2026.
In October 2022, when Farhad Mamedov and I began our dialogue on “The Role of Civil Society in Overcoming Enmity and Finding Paths for Cooperation,” our goal was to find formulas that would withstand all the trials of Realpolitik and reject the “Genghis Khan system”.
Today, representing an entity that embodies the constructive potential of the Diaspora, I propose a new quality of dialogue. It is based not on “intellectual arrogance,” but on the long-term legitimacy and stability of our region. For the “Bridge of Peace” to become a functional tool for us all, it must be anchored in the following fundamental principles:
1․Azerbaijan acts as the legal successor to the 1918-1920 republic, which presents a genuine legal opportunity to re-recognize the 3,000-year-old inalienable hereditary rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. We do not view this as a concession or “moral capitulation,” for rights are not for sale. We simply state that historical experience and our powerful intellectual potential since the Ottoman era of 1864 confirm: the use of force does not create legal consequences. After all, we all know that a crime does not give rise to a right (Ex injuria jus non oritur). What a century of propaganda attempts to present as “Armenian aggression” is, in reality, a natural aspiration to restore the suspended rights of the Armenian people.
2․While building the bridge of peace, we bring a pragmatic calculation to the table. Petro dollars are depletable, whereas the Diaspora’s “global capital” and intellectual network are enduring and far exceed today’s economic balances. We propose a model where the re-recognition of the Armenian presence and rights in their historical cradle opens the doors of global humanism and religion, ensuring the flow of capital for regional projects. This is the Diaspora’s practical resource that can refragment global and regional confrontation, transforming it into economic and civilizational cooperation.
3․For you, the Diaspora, and the international community to perceive this proposal as a serious opportunity, a true mandate of trust is required. The immediate return of Armenian prisoners of war and captives is not a subject of political bargaining, but proof that Baku is ready to build a future based on law rather than coercion.
We are confident that in the near future, law will overcome the dictates of temporary force. We live in the Diaspora temporarily, but our rights are eternal. I wish us all the courage to build a peace founded on invulnerable legal truth and mutual respect.
With respect and expectation for constructive solutions,
Aram Mkrtchyan
The United Aremian Senate
Coordinator
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