I Have Not Discussed Any Issues with Azerbaijani Officials During My Short Time as Prime Minister's Advisor: Arsen Khachatryan

The former advisor to the Prime Minister, Arsen Khachatryan, has refuted claims published by Azerbaijani media suggesting that he conducted secret negotiations with the Azerbaijani side on behalf of Nikol Pashinyan.

"The Azerbaijani propaganda machine is in turmoil. Aliyev's personal use of hacks has published another lie and false text, this time presenting fabricated stories under my name. Allegedly, I held secret negotiations with the Azerbaijanis in 2018. I consider it pointless to respond to the puppet media of Aliyev, who is trying to save the government at all costs, but to avoid any possible speculation within Armenia, I would like to clarify: During my brief time as an advisor to the Prime Minister, I have not discussed any issues with any Azerbaijani official. Why the Azerbaijanis are publishing such false texts at this stage should be clarified by them. I can only assume that after the victorious operation in July and the renowned interview with 'Al Jazeera,' some of Aliyev's officials have still not recovered from the 'beating' they received, whom I advise to take a cold shower, gather their Valeryankas, and fearfully wait for the day when democratic changes knock on their doors. By the way, that day is not far off..." wrote Khachatryan.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani outlet haqqin.az reported that during July-August 2018, Arsen Khachatryan allegedly approached a governmental source in Azerbaijan, proposing to commence direct negotiations, and during this time, he left his position as an advisor to the Prime Minister. According to the source, during a meeting with a representative of the Azerbaijani government, which took place in one of the European countries, Khachatryan stated that he represented Pashinyan, who was interested in a new format of negotiations, and that the new Armenian government was allegedly willing to accept a phased settlement plan for future negotiations.