Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in an interview given to the BBC’s HARDtalk programme, addressed the Karabakh issue, noting that Azerbaijan attacked Armenia.
The Prime Minister stated that peace cannot be established through Armenia’s unilateral efforts, accusing the Azerbaijani leadership of military rhetoric and attempts to resolve the issue by force. “Artsakh is Armenia, and that’s it,” said Pashinyan.
“Why do I say that Artsakh is Armenia? First, because Artsakh has been inhabited by indigenous Armenians for several thousand years. And, by the way, the name Artsakh is several thousand years old,” noted Pashinyan.
The host asked whether Armenia will continue to remain Russia’s ally or will move towards the European Union and NATO.
Nikol Pashinyan in response emphasised that Armenia continues to remain Russia’s strategic partner. In parallel, Armenia receives its main support for carrying out domestic political reforms from the European Union.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also addressed on the BBC’s HARDtalk programme the Republic of Armenia’s relations with Russia, the European Union, the United States of America and Iran. According to Armenpress, Pashinyan noted that Armenia has very good relations with all of the mentioned countries, at different levels.
“Russia is Armenia’s strategic partner in terms of security; we are members of the Eurasian Economic Union, a union that has an exclusively economic orientation. And we have signed the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the European Union. And, by the way, the European Union is our main partner on the path of implementing the reform agenda. We cooperate quite effectively with NATO and participate in NATO peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Kosovo and Mali. In addition, we effectively cooperate with the United States in the military sphere,” said Pashinyan.
The Prime Minister noted that strategic partnership means long-term cooperation, but Armenia has good relations with Iran, and equally good relations with the United States.
Armenia is a democratic country, and the opposition freely expresses its viewpoint. This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview given to the BBC’s HARDtalk programme, addressing the criticisms of opponents. “I am glad that in Armenia the opposition now operates more freely than before the revolution,” said Pashinyan.
Addressing the situation surrounding the judicial system and the criminal cases against former officials, Nikol Pashinyan said: “I do not decide when someone should be arrested or released.”
