Robert Kocharyan-Serzh Sargsyan Duo Must Give a Clear Answer: How Did This Happen? - Nikol Pashinyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today stated in the National Assembly that, according to the negotiating logic he inherited, without Azerbaijan's consent, Nagorno-Karabakh could not gain a status outside of Azerbaijan’s territory, including interim status.

“This has been the logic of reconciling the principles of territorial integrity and self-determination because if you want to gain independence through the realization of the principle of self-determination without violating the principle of territorial integrity, which is embedded in the Madrid Principles, the only way is for the subject of territorial integrity to agree to your independence. This has been the position of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, and they have personally communicated this to me,” said Pashinyan.

According to him, the negotiating legacy left by Serzh Sargsyan does not indicate that a referendum will take place in Nagorno-Karabakh, but states that all residents of Artsakh will participate in the referendum. The Prime Minister emphasized that such a negotiating legacy has laid the groundwork for war, creating a context of conflict, and has become the reason for the war.

“The Robert Kocharyan-Serzh Sargsyan duo must give a very clear answer: how did it happen that Azerbaijan gained the opportunity to present unrealistic and unacceptable demands during the negotiation process, despite the fact that the former authorities of Armenia have been insisting for many years that the negotiations are proceeding well, and we are moving towards the realization of our goals?” Pashinyan declared.

He noted that after the April 2016 war, people finally understood that their 25 years of sacrifices did not serve the strengthening of the Armenian army and statehood, but rather the enrichment of a number of well-known individuals and their luxurious lifestyles. Pashinyan reassured that he and his team have fought a desperate battle to save the Armenian content of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and have taken on the responsibility for the defeat.

“Although we have taken on the responsibility for the defeat, the reasonable Armenian people have understood that this defeat was not borne in one or two years, but over 25 long years, and people have realized that the bell of defeat did not toll on November 9, 2020, but in April 2016 when the Armenian side lost heights that were considered impregnable and territories that were deemed unassailable,” said the Prime Minister.