2 minute read
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that any attempts at any level in Armenia aimed at continuing the Karabakh movement could trigger reciprocal responses from Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan was asked at a press briefing why the narrative of so-called “Western Azerbaijan” and the “return of Azerbaijanis” has been reactivated in Azerbaijan despite the peace between the two countries.
The Armenian PM lambasted the opposition for the developments.
He said that as long as opposition lawmakers keep Karabakh flags near their seats in parliament and such rhetoric continues in Armenia, it will continue in a mirrored form, as these are interdependent factors.
“I am saying that all of this has no practical or applicable significance and will not have any practical application as long as we are in power and clearly express our position on this issue. Why am I saying this? The leader of the Armenia Alliance [ex-president Robert Kocharyan] says that the Republic of Armenia should not be satisfied with 29,743 square kilometers—so what should it do then? Everyone hears what is happening in Armenia and what people are saying, don’t they?
Now, any attempt to continue the Karabakh movement at other levels will lead to mirror responses.
This is why I continue to insist, and we will take all possible steps to ensure that all attempts to continue the Karabakh movement are stopped, also because the people of Armenia have voted in favor of this vision, and this is a very important factor. We will treat such attempts as an effort to drag the people of Armenia into a new [gamble], and within the limits of our authority and the law, we will do everything to stop it,” Pashinyan said.
He added that he is not blaming anyone, but simply wants the context and the cause-and-effect relations of the issue to be clear.