Baku Court reveals secret Armenian pact with separatists in 1993

A military court in Baku has revealed video footage said to show Armenia’s first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, pledging security guarantees to separatists during the early 1990s conflict over Karabakh.

Details of a previously undisclosed agreement between Armenia and the former separatist authorities in Karabakh were made public during a court hearing in Baku on May 22, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

The military tribunal was shown a video recording of a 1993 meeting between then-Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan and leaders of the self-proclaimed entity. In the footage, Ter-Petrosyan is heard offering Armenia’s “highest level of security guarantees” to the separatist authorities, referring to the accord as a secret document.

The former Armenian president reportedly stated that the agreement would be produced in two copies and that “the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic relies on guarantees from the international community, the Russian Federation, the United States, and especially the President of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan.”

He is also heard saying that Armenia would utilise all available means—including military force—to uphold those guarantees, and explicitly ruled out returning the Lachin region to Azerbaijan in future negotiations.

During the hearing, the defendant Arkadi Ghukasyan confirmed his presence at the meeting. Responding to questions from state prosecutors, Ghukasyan described the encounter as “historic” and noted that the video had been filmed shortly after the occupation of the Kalbajar district. At the time, he was leading negotiations with Azerbaijan and served as a deputy in the self-declared administration.

Ghukasyan testified that following the meeting, Georgi Petrosyan resigned, and Karen Baburyan assumed the role of acting parliamentary speaker. He and future Armenian president Robert Kocharyan signed the document prepared by Ter-Petrosyan, which, according to Ghukasyan, committed the Republic of Armenia to ensuring security for Karabakh until a comprehensive resolution of the conflict.

To recall, the trial in Baku is part of an ongoing legal process against Armenian nationals accused of crimes including war crimes, crimes against humanity, the waging of aggressive war, genocide, terrorism, and the violent seizure of power. Azerbaijani prosecutors allege that the defendants played key roles in the escalation of the long-standing conflict and the illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territory.

By Aghakazim Guliyev