YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government’s toolkit must be diplomatic, i.e., to exert as much international pressure as possible for opening the Lachin Corridor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a press conference when asked on the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

A reporter asked the Prime Minister how he imagines the solution of the issue and what actions the government is taking to open the Lachin Corridor. The reporter also asked the Prime Minister to confirm or deny Russian media reports claiming that Armenia has issued an ultimatum to Russia that if by January 10 the Lachin Corridor is not opened Armenia will withdraw from the CSTO and the CIS.

The Prime Minister said that one must not speak in the language of ultimatums with partners.

“We’ve publicly said everything what we have to say about the given situation and by and large I have nothing else to add. Assessments on the fact of the closure of Lachin Corridor were also publicly made,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian PM said it is necessary to understand the deeper and wider context of the situation around Lachin Corridor.

“By my estimation, what’s happening in Lachin Corridor is primarily aimed at breaking the will of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh of living in their own homeland. This is the most important context of the issue. We must take this into account. The positions of the Government of the Republic of Armenia have been expressed and we believe that our toolkit must be diplomatic, that is, to exert as much international pressure as possible for opening the Lachin Corridor,” PM Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan noted that under the 9 November 2020 trilateral agreement Azerbaijan and Russia have legal obligations on Lachin Corridor.

“If you have paid attention, clause 6 of the trilateral statement regarding Lachin Corridor doesn’t have any wording about Armenia. And we believe that our actions must be completely legitimate in this process, and generally we consider legitimacy in any process to be of key significance, moreover internationally legitimate positions and approaches and we approach the issue with this logic,” the PM said.

In his remarks the Prime Minister reminded that in 2022 Armenia provided an unprecedented over 170 billion drams of assistance to Nagorno Karabakh. “We will continue to provide assistance to our compatriots of Nagorno Karabakh. You know that Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan is leading a task force on providing assistance to the people of Nagorno Karabakh in managing the humanitarian crisis. You know that the issue was raised at the UN Security Council and it remains on the UNSC agenda. Of course, I’ve also expressed positions regarding the Russian peacekeeping contingent in this situation. I have to draw attention on the fact that indeed the Russian peacekeeping contingent must ensure the normal functioning of the Lachin Corridor and this is clearly stipulated in the trilateral statement,” Pashinyan said.