It Is Obvious That Turkey and Azerbaijan Have Coordinated Actions Against Artsakh, Says Pashinyan

Azerbaijan has launched a pre-planned aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. In an interview with the British magazine 'The Spectator', Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated, 'As you know, there are Armenians living there. We have a moral and political obligation to protect our compatriots there. Armenia is the guarantor of the security of Nagorno-Karabakh. The situation is now escalating as Azerbaijan continues to fire toward Nagorno-Karabakh, trying to impose a military solution, which, by the way, is being done with Turkey's direct support.'

The Prime Minister emphasized that it is very important to understand the essence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. 'When I read the headlines in international media, I understand that a serious misunderstanding has occurred. This is not a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The issue is about the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination. As a result of an arbitrary decision of the Soviet Union, the region ended up within Azerbaijan's territory. Armenians have always been under threat. Initially, it was hidden, but later it became visible. When the Soviet Union began to collapse, Armenians decided to exercise their right to self-determination. Just as Azerbaijan separated from the Soviet Union, so did Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan. Incidentally, this was an entirely peaceful process. Azerbaijan responded to this process with violence, massacres, and killings from the very beginning. And from that moment on, the conflict began. Unfortunately, the international community deeply misunderstands the essence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is not about territory. It is about people, about people's security. The Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, who have always been the overwhelming majority of the population there, want to exercise their right to freedom, independence, and self-determination.'

Pashinyan considers the coordinated actions of Turkey and Azerbaijan to be evident. 'Turkey controls the whole process; they do not try to hide it. This is actually a very public process. I mentioned the threat facing the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. But when you mention Turkey, think about the existential threat that Armenians have faced from Turkey throughout our history. As you know, the first genocide of the 20th century was carried out in the Ottoman Empire, when 1.5 million Armenians were killed. To this day, Turkey has not only refused to recognize the fact of the Armenian Genocide, but Turkey has essentially continued its policy against Armenians. As for our options, I reiterate that this is an existential threat for us and we have nothing but defending ourselves,' Pashinyan emphasized.