Pashinyan on the Six Nationwide Consensus

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page: "The six nationwide consensus that I proposed on August 5, 2019, in Stepanakert, serves as a cornerstone and formula for pan-Armenianism and national unity:

Consensus 1. Violence must be excluded as a tool for resolving any internal Armenian issues. In our reality, we must exclude violence in order to resolve issues amongst ourselves. All forces and individuals that consider violence as a means of solving any internal Armenian issue must be rejected and thrown into the wastebasket of Armenian history. The vision of a society and a nation free from violence must become a cornerstone principle of our national unity. By the way, there is only one exception in this context: it pertains to the use of legal force for the prevention and detection of crimes, as well as ensuring the normal functioning of society.

Consensus 2. The people and their free expression must be the sole source for the formation of power. Any attempt to distort or distort the will of the people must be viewed as anti-state and anti-national activity. In this regard, I consider it crucial to conduct presidential and parliamentary elections in the Republic of Artsakh in a free, competitive, democratic environment with genuine guarantees for the free expression of the people.

Consequently, the Republic of Armenia must act and will act as a guarantor of the free expression of the Artsakh people and the legitimate formation of power through that expression.

Consensus 3. The sovereignty of Armenia and Artsakh, and the sovereignty of the Armenian people is the highest value, and all forces that attempt to involve foreign powers in resolving internal Armenian issues must face the most severe resistance from the Armenian people and their legitimate representatives, the government of Armenia.

Consensus 4. Armenia and Artsakh must be free from corruption. All manifestations of corruption, including patronage, artificial monopolies, and the imposition of artificial obstacles on competitors must be uprooted. The material damage inflicted on the state and the people due to corrupt activities must be restored.

Consensus 5. The supremacy of law and the equality of all before the law must become the core of inter-national relations. The existence of courts subjected to external or internal influences poses a threat to national security. In Armenia and Artsakh, courts must be independent. The presence of privileged classes, circles, or individuals must be excluded from any sphere of economy, politics, and public life. Here, I want to make a comment: dear people, we have many deserving individuals; Armenian society has given worthy sons. However, it is unacceptable and must not be tolerated when someone provides a service to the people and the homeland and then tries to sell that service in the form of privilege, as something beyond the law.

Consensus 6. The most fundamental consensus is that the goal of the negotiation process for resolving the Artsakh issue must be the protection of the results of the Artsakh liberation struggle for the self-determination and security of the Artsakh people. Any solution deemed acceptable by the governments of Armenia and Artsakh as a result of negotiations can only be considered acceptable with the popular approval in Armenia and Artsakh.