Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan excludes a settlement of the Artsakh issue, which will not be acceptable for our people. The Prime Minister stated this at a press conference in the government.
“When we say a compromise option, we mean that there should be two sides ready to make some concessions. I want to understand why we want to discuss our willingness to compromise if it is obvious that Azerbaijan is not ready to compromise. When we receive a message that Azerbaijan is also inclined to compromise or Azerbaijan is inclined to compromise, then we will discuss this, moreover, not on the government level, but with the whole nation, we will try to understand what are the limits of compromise for us. I rule out a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that will not be acceptable for our people”, said the Prime Minister.
Referring to his recent meeting with the first President of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrossian, Nikol Pashinyan said: “The first President said he wanted to discuss some issues with me. I invited him to the government house to have coffee, talk, and discuss. He tried to give me some information about Artsakh that he had thought I would not be aware of. It was a very useful talk. But there was nothing I was not aware of in what he told to me”.
Nikol Pashinyan said that after becoming Prime Minister his first step was to get information about the Artsakh issue. He invited former Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and does not exclude that another such meeting will be held in the near future.
No internal political issues were discussed during Levon Ter-Petrossian – Nikol Pashinyan meeting. Issues related to Artsakh and foreign policy were discussed. Nikol Pashinyan does not see the necessity of meeting with Armenia’s second and third Presidents but does not rule out such meetings in case of a need.
Touching upon the issue of bringing Artsakh back to the negotiation table, Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed his view that no Artsakh issue will be settled without Artsakh people’s participation. “All the working documents say that Artsakh must be fully involved in the final stage of the Artsakh issue settlement. I think that if we talk about the final settlement of the Artsakh issue, then Artsakh must be involved. This does not mean we cannot take part at all. We have clearly stated at a press conference in Stepanakert that we are ready to negotiate with Azerbaijan, I am ready to negotiate with the Azerbaijani President, and now I restate that. We are ready to make efforts to create an atmosphere of settlement”.
Nelly GRIGORYAN
