In connection with my post yesterday, a series of reactions showed how manipulative mechanisms operate, especially during this period of tension, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced today during an online press conference.
He said that since 9 November, various videos from the front line have been published, in which the soldiers express assessments and analyses.
“In my post, I noted that I am amazed by the soldiers’ deep knowledge. The soldiers are right; that is, it means that I agree with many of their comments. The sentence ‘I will wait for you in Yerevan’ has given many people grounds to say that there is a call for civil war and clashes here. After the well-known events, it appears online that many of those soldiers are being discharged and returning to their families. Many of them send me messages saying they want to meet. I consider it necessary to respond publicly in this way, that I will organise a meeting with them and we will discuss issues,” the Prime Minister said.
He also commented on the following sentence: “the issues of those suffering under the pretext of finally resolving.”
“Of course, this is a rather harsh formulation, but taking into account that yesterday we learned that this expression is also used by official bodies in their statements, yes, I used that formulation. This means that after the return of the front-line soldiers and during the conversation with them, all those discussions that the military-political leadership of Armenia was involved in some conspiracies will finally be settled,” Pashinyan elaborated.
The Prime Minister posed the question: who, if not the soldier who was on the front line, knows the answer to that question.
“There is talk of clashes; no one from the front line returns armed. Now the situation is such that the words can be interpreted in dozens of ways. Of course, it is concerning that very harsh language is used in the videos coming from the front line.”
The Prime Minister accused political forces of not condemning the violence that took place on the night of 9-10 November.
“Words of condemnation were voiced by the soldiers on the front line. We must exclude hate speech,” the Prime Minister said.
For the Armenian side, the question of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh must be placed at the basis of the negotiation process with new urgency and new importance, Pashinyan said, addressing the question of what his own point is in the negotiations.
“We must analyse and formulate the agenda that we have today regarding the current situation, and we must serve that agenda, particularly focusing on the question of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. The most important issue is that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh must live in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the question of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh must be placed at the basis of the negotiation process with new urgency and new importance,” Pashinyan said and added, as well as humanitarian, communication issues, transport and other issues.
In connection with the latest events in Artsakh, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia considers the responsibility to be his own, but in order to bear it fully, he emphasises the clarification of all circumstances to the public. “There is no doubt that I am the number one official who bears responsibility for what happened. I give an account that, because of this fact, the formulation is perhaps harsh, but I stand before the judgment of our people, yet in this case the people must be able to draw conclusions, must be in possession of all the circumstances of the matter. Hearing the same soldiers, the opposition, the government is an integral part of that process. I consider it important that it become clear what happened,” Nikol Pashinyan said.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, does not have the question of resigning on his agenda.
“My agenda includes ensuring stability and security in society. There is no other issue on my agenda today,” Pashinyan said, answering the question regarding the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces demanding his resignation.
