We Do Not Close the Door to Anyone: Pashinyan on International Observation Mission

Guaranteed security can only be ensured through peace, said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during an interview with Public TV. He stated, “As long as we do not have comprehensive peace, we cannot talk about comprehensive security. Therefore, all our efforts, even in the most acute situations, are directed towards peace. If we believe that the integrity of our borders needs to be protected, including through the efforts of our army and our diplomatic means, the ultimate goal of those actions is also peace.”

When asked if the actions could include sanctions against Azerbaijan, arms sales, or conducting constant monitoring at the border, as suggested by the Prime Minister at the UN, Pashinyan replied, “Those are different issues. I must say that we are actively working in all necessary directions to ensure the security of Armenia.”

Regarding the international observation mission, Pashinyan stated, “When we talk about an international observation mission, we mean either a long-term or a permanent observation mechanism, one of the most important purposes of which is to convey unbiased information regarding the situation to the relevant international bodies, after which appropriate actions will follow. This logic arises from the fact that Azerbaijan never says it violated the ceasefire. They always try to present that some kind of provocation has occurred, etc. Naturally, we refute that baseless information by all possible means, but on the other hand, we say that since this is already a continuing situation, it would be appropriate for the international community to have an observation mission to assess the situation on the ground.”

Pashinyan noted that there has been no change in positions since all the missions mentioned by the journalist are international missions. The Prime Minister emphasized, “We do not close the door to anyone.” He added that there are international organizations that could play such a role, such as the OSCE, the UN Security Council, etc. He stated, “I mean that there has been no change in positions. We have never excluded, for example, that there will be an OSCE mission.”