The escalation of the conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh, which began with Armenia's attack on Azerbaijan, has been continuing for a week. To suppress the fire and ensure the safety of the civilian population, the Azerbaijani army launched a counter-offensive operation, destroying military equipment, military infrastructure and manpower of the enemy. The events that followed the Armenian attack on Azerbaijan are unfolding not only on the battlefield but also in the form of propaganda and disinformation in the media.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed his point of view on what is happening around Nagorno-Karabakh frankly turning all events upside down. Nevertheless, Vestnik Kavkaza provides our readers with the key ideas voiced by the Armenian Prime Minister. Thus, he stated that "Armenia acts as a guarantor of security of Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh" and "Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh will not retreat in face of aggression."
Speaking about the likelihood for a military-political alliance with Nagorno-Karabakh Pashinyan acknowledged that the alliance de-facto exists. He did not specify that the separatist's government is a puppet regime saying that "Armenia is the guarantor of security of Karabakh."
Also, the premier reminded that "Azerbaijan attacked Nagorno-Karabakh with Turkey’s obvious support" but he failed to prove the rumors that "Turkey recruiting mercenaries in Syria and transporting them to our region". "The evidence of that is appearing in the international media in such sources as The Guardian, Reuters. The relatives of these mercenaries are telling the stories. And specific individuals have spoken to journalists and said that Turkey recruiting those people and transport them to Azerbaijan," Pashinyan said.
Speaking about the negotiation process, which was actually frozen precisely by Yerevan, Pashinyan noted that "Everything needed to be done has been done. I proposed the formula that we have to agree that any settlement, any solution to the conflict has to be acceptable to the people of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, starting from the mid-2000s has essentially been advancing the military philosophy and policy and is refusing in any way to engage in mutual concessions. Instead, the President of Azerbaijan says that the solution of the Karabakh issue can be solved only within the frames of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity".
Premier added that "concessions to Azerbaijan for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be acceptable."
Answering the question of why he did not deliver what people hoped he would after the revolution, Pashinyan turned the spotlight to Baku: "Azerbaijan intensified its bellicose rhetoric which led to today’s situation."
Commenting on his consultations with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the escalation, the Armenian Prime Minister deliberately did not highlight Moscow's role in the settlement process: "I had phone calls with President of France, Chancellor of Germany, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the UN Secretary-General, twice with Vladimir Putin. I will have more phone calls with the French President and other leaders. We discuss the ongoing situation."
Answering the clarifying question of whether Vladimir Putin's opinion matters most to him Nikol Pashinyan said: "Russia is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and with Russia, Armenia has a deep partnership in the security fields including the fact that Russian military base is in Armenia. There are some treaties that are in force. Perhaps, the agenda of our discussion is more diverse. First of all, Russia as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group should take all measures for security and peace in the region and resolution of the conflict."
As for the idea of the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, Pashinyan evasively stated that "those issues can be discussed in the context of the wider resolution within the OSCE Minsk Group".
Commenting on the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh by representatives of the Armenian diaspora, Nikol Pashinyan stated: "Firstly, Armenia has nothing to do with the Nagorno-Karabakh territorial development. Secondly, from Armenia and from Nagorno-Karabakh many Armenians emigrated from their homes. Those people have lived in different parts of the world. I do not preclude that some of those people might return."
Answering the question about the war crimes committed by the Armenian forces back in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Nagorno-Karabakh that catalogued in the Court of Human Rights Armenian Prime Minister said that "this is a misunderstanding. Where is that information coming from? It is just another Azerbaijani propaganda."
Commenting on the UN demands for the unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian occupation forces from the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Prime Minister stated: "Have you actually read those resolutions? The text says that Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire agreement and the situation that subsequently emerged was the consequence of breach of the internationally reached commitments."
Speaking about his achievements in the field of the Karabakh settlement, Pashinyan did not tell anything new: "I proposed a formula that we should undertake the solutions that acceptable to the people of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh. I was the first leader who said that any solution to Karabakh issue should be acceptable also to the other side. In respond to that the President of Azerbaijan continued the bellicose statements. Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be Azerbaijan for a simple reason: at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union as Azerbaijan gained independence in exactly the same way the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh exercised its constitution and legal right to gain the independence from the USSR."
