YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to the French Le Figaro newspaper.

Armenpress presents the PM’s interview:

Le Figaro: You accuse Turkey of providing military assistance to Azerbaijan. What evidence do you have?

Nikol Pashinyan: Yes, we have evidence. Russia, France and the United States have already accepted that on the 27^th of September the Turkish army has been engaged in the large-scale attack against Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). Turkish high-ranking officials have publicly confirmed their support to Azerbaijan not only in the political and diplomatic, but also in the battle field. They are using Turkish-made UAVs and F-16s for bombarding the civilian zones of Nagorno Karabakh. The international community, in particular the American community should know that the F-16s produced in the United States today are being used for targeting Armenians. There are facts which prove that the Turkish military leadership is directly engaged in conducting attacks. Ankara has sent military vehicles, ammunition and military consultants to Baku. We also know that Turkey has trained thousands of mercenaries from its occupied territories in Syria’s north and transported them. Today these mercenaries and terrorists are fighting against Armenians. Most of them even do not know why Turkey has deployed them there. While in Azerbaijan they understood that they have been deceived. We know that these terrorists are taking drugs, because syringes full of drugs were found in their pockets. We can suppose that 30% of the casualties of the Azerbaijani side are foreign mercenaries.

Le Figaro: Do you think that Turkey is responsible for this escalation?

Nikol Pashinyan: Definitely. The Turkish-Azerbaijani joint military exercise which launched in August is not over yet. In fact the attack against Nagorno Karabakh is the second phase of that operation. After training they decided to start an attack, and they should be held responsible for that escalation.

Azerbaijan, which launched an attack on Armenia in July, but suffered a loss on the border, has applied for Turkey’s help. It’s obvious that Ankara is the decision-maker in many key issues of the situation. Their goal is to violate the regional balance of power for their benefit.

Le Figaro: What do you mean?

Nikol Pashinyan: Turkey’s goal is to strengthen its role and influence in the South Caucasus and violate a century-old status quo. It dreams of creating an empire similar to sultanate and has chosen a path which can set the region on fire.

Le Figaro: Are you ready for the ceasefire?

Nikol Pashinyan: It’s Turkey and Azerbaijan that must stop the military operations as they started the attack first and at the moment as well they are killing Armenians. Nagorno Karabakh cannot be disarmed, as it will lead to a genocide. Its population is facing an existential threat. At this stage the adversary has not shown any sign of stopping the attacks. I am even sure that Azerbaijan is controlling the terrorists fighting side by side with it. According to our information, mercenaries are entering stores in some villages of Azerbaijan and ban the sale of alcohol, citing Sharia.

Le Figaro: Should the negotiation pass through the Minsk Group?

Nikol Pashinyan: It is the only existing format. The Russian and French Presidents have made a sobering call. We wait for the international community to be actively engaged in the suspension of the aggression. Turkey cannot be a mediator for its biased and militaristic behavior.

Le Figaro: Is this crisis more severe than that of 2016?

Nikol Pashinyan: This crisis is much more serious. It would more correct to compare it with the first genocide of the 20^th century, the 1915 Genocide when more than 1,5 million Armenians were killed. The Turkish state, which denies the past, has again chosen the path of genocide. The world should understand what is taking place here. The international community should be quickly engaged to prevent the spread of violence. Otherwise, the consequences of this conflict will go beyond the borders of the South Caucasus.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan