Azerbaijan's Armed Forces Have Failed the Task Set by Its Political Leadership: Interview with Nikol Pashinyan on '60 Minutes'

The negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue must continue where they left off, within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with Russia 1 television today.

He also emphasized that a negotiation atmosphere is necessary for discussions, and it is very difficult to talk about negotiations, especially their content, in a military context. “First and foremost, violence must cease; it must be recognized that there is no military solution to the problem, and Azerbaijan must accept this,” said Pashinyan, adding that the war did not start from scratch.

The Azerbaijani authorities have for a long time employed rhetoric of hatred against the Armenian side, threatening to solve the problem militarily, despite international calls. “I hope that the current situation and the events taking place will convince Azerbaijan that there is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Azerbaijan's Armed Forces have failed the task set by their political leadership regarding solving the Karabakh issue through military means,” Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister also stated that the President of Azerbaijan is trying to resolve the Karabakh issue solely in a manner acceptable to Azerbaijan. “This is impossible. Compromise is necessary. However, a compromise atmosphere is required for a compromise. And for that, Azerbaijan must immediately cease its aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia,” the Prime Minister said.

Pashinyan also stressed that Azerbaijan's aggression against the two Armenian republics was not unexpected. It was a pre-planned action, which was orchestrated during joint exercises with Turkish Armed Forces. For more details, see the video.