Samvel Shahramanyan vows to not jeopardize Armenian government’s processes

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Samvel Shahramanyan, a Nagorno-Karabakh politician who held the position of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) President at the time of the Azeri takeover of the territory and moved to Armenia along with over 100,000 forcibly displaced persons, said on Monday that he prioritizes the security of Armenia and that his actions will not jeopardize it.

“After being displaced to Armenia, we adopted a policy, and I have informed all our officials about this, that Armenia’s security is our priority. This is the main part of our homeland, and we must do everything to not jeopardize the processes that are now being implemented by the government of Armenia, and to not jeopardize the security system,” Shahramanyan told reporters.

He said he is ready to meet and negotiate with Azerbaijani authorities regarding the issue of return. 

“What matters is to have the right task set before us. We are also ready to cooperate with the respective bodies of the Republic of Armenia in this regard,” he said.

Asked on the return of captives held in Azerbaijan, Shahramanyan only said that he is aware that some work is underway in that direction. “I have seen that the leader of Armenia refused to disclose details about this, so I will refrain too,” he said, referring to PM Pashinyan’s latest press conference where he was asked on the matter.

On August 31, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the wording and content used by some former officials of Nagorno-Karabakh about the return of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians is unrealistic and contradicts the national interests of Armenia.