Nagorno-Karabakh Trilateral Statement is Not a Political Settlement Document, Says Armenian Prime Minister

The decision of the joint statement, in essence, took place within the framework of operational management of military actions, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during an interview with First Channel.

"It is the same as if we say our unit has retreated from some area, or has decided to attack in some area—why wasn’t this question discussed in the National Assembly?" he stated.

Pashinyan noted that the document is about not only territorial concessions but also the preservation of certain positions, created in a situation where predictable losses, according to military assessments, were inevitably expected to occur.

Commenting on the discussions, the Prime Minister said that the logic of the discussions needs to be understood. "What are we proposing to do—retrace our steps, resume military operations, or follow some other scenario?" he asked.

According to the Prime Minister, discussions, as such, have yet to begin anew. "The discussion is diplomatic in nature; I believe it will take a very long time because I want to draw everyone's attention to the fact that this is a document on the cessation of military operations," he stressed.

Pashinyan emphasized that this is not a political settlement document. "There are sentences that need to become political content. Discussions will take place in that phase, and the fundamental format of the discussions will be within the government," he added.