Video: "We do not criticize the peacekeepers; we express our concerns that have long-standing origins," says Pashinyan

The Armenian government does not criticize the Russian peacekeepers; instead, it only expresses its concerns regarding their activities, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated at a press conference in response to a question from Sputnik Armenia.

The question was as follows: if previously it was only Azerbaijan criticizing the peacekeepers, now the Armenian authorities also voice criticisms, fully aware that their mandate is limited to not using force. To what extent is Yerevan involved in negotiations with the Russian side, and has the Prime Minister personally met and discussed the events in Lachin with the commander of the peacekeeping contingent, Andrey Volkov?

“We do not criticize the peacekeepers; rather, we express our concerns that have long-standing origins. No one disputes that Russian peacekeepers ensure the security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, we have the precedent of the Parukh events, where Azerbaijanis entered the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers, and we have not seen any effective response. Moreover, in the area under the peacekeepers’ responsibility, in Khtsaberd, Armenian citizens were taken captive,” Pashinyan said.

According to him, after the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the Lachin corridor, Armenian citizens who had no connection to military operations were taken captive. These are questions that, according to Pashinyan, need to be answered: “Are we sitting quietly with our mouths shut, or are we addressing these issues? We are dealing with these questions, and not just with the commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, but with the supreme commander of the peacekeepers.”

The Prime Minister noted that a state campaign to discredit Russian peacekeepers has begun in Azerbaijan, which is evident. At the same time, Pashinyan reminded that the tripartite statement clearly states that the Lachin corridor remains under the control of peacekeepers.