Our 6 servicemen have been captured on our territory and must be returned immediately: Pashinyan

No new developments are taking place; they want to take our sovereignty from us, they want to take our state from us. This was stated today by Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a meeting with residents in the village of Kout, Gegharkunik region.

He noted that the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh has not been resolved to this day because since September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan has not agreed to compromises.

"In other words, it has been said, 'Okay, let's make this concession for the sake of peace.' Armenia has shown a willingness, but at the very next moment, Azerbaijan has considered the compromise unacceptable, trying to extort even greater concessions. Currently, what is the situation today? It is clear that Azerbaijan has violated the state border of the Republic of Armenia. There cannot be any opinion or viewpoint on this matter, and there cannot be any talk of concessions here, because if we concede our border, it will only encourage them further. We clearly state that according to international law, this is our sovereign territory and the armed forces of Azerbaijan must definitely leave our territory. Our determination must be evident here. But on the other hand, we must not allow the situation to get out of control and out of our oversight. Today, we must first advance this agenda through diplomatic means and clearly formulate international demands," said Pashinyan.

He noted that the USA, France, and Russia have acknowledged that Azerbaijan has entered our territory and must withdraw, and the European Parliament has passed a condemning resolution.

"We must achieve their withdrawal from this territory through our consistent, balanced, determined, and not overly anxious steps. And here, I ask you not to believe any conspiracy theories," Pashinyan said.

He addressed the case of the servicemen who fell captive in Vardenis today, stating that the situation arose due to engineering work being carried out on the border. "I don't know; the circumstances need to be clarified in more detail. But it is clear that our 6 servicemen have been captured on our territory, and they must be returned to the Republic of Armenia immediately," Pashinyan said.