VIDEO: Artsakh, Arrests and Coronavirus. Pashinyan’s Interview with HARDtalk

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, during an interview on BBC's HARDtalk program, addressed the fight against corruption, accused Azerbaijan of escalating the border situation, and explained why he was not wearing a mask at the time when he required Armenian citizens to wear one as mandatory.

The interview between Pashinyan and the program's host, Stephen Sackur, took place via video call. It is noteworthy that HARDtalk is a program that features mainly critical, hard-hitting, and provocative questions.

The discussion began with the inception of Nikol Pashinyan's leadership, when he assumed office as Prime Minister in 2018. He stated that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 7.6 percent last year. “The coronavirus interrupted our trajectory, but we will continue,” he said.

In response to criticism from the opposition, Nikol Pashinyan noted that Armenia is a democratic country where everyone has the right to express their opinion. When asked about the arrest of Armenia's second President Robert Kocharyan, the Prime Minister stated that this matter is being handled by the country's courts, investigators, and the prosecutor's office.

Details of the interview to follow.