The Prime Minister refers to the humanitarian and military-political situation established in Nagorno-Karabakh
A regular Cabinet meeting took place today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Before discussing the issues on the agenda, the Prime Minister referred to the humanitarian and military-political situation established in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Prime Minister, in particular, noted:
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“Before addressing the agenda of the Cabinet meeting, I want to talk about the humanitarian and military-political situation established in Nagorno-Karabakh. Of course, it should be noted that the situation remains extremely tense, the humanitarian crisis continues.
We are in constant contact with our partners in Nagorno-Karabakh and as a result of the discussions we had this morning, we can state that there are certain hopes for a positive change in the situation. This is the assessment of a number of our partners in Nagorno-Karabakh, which we also, in some sense, share.
What do we mean when we say there are hopes for positive developments? We mean that the residents of Nagorno Karabakh settlements, our compatriots, can get a real opportunity to return to their homes. But I also want to say the following. we note that the situation is dynamic and changeable, that is, the information we have at the moment can change in half an hour.
But it is very important that at any given moment we have accurate information about that moment and also some understanding of the dynamics. There is also some hope for an improvement in the humanitarian situation. It is not excluded that larger batches of humanitarian aid will enter Nagorno Karabakh today.
Now I simply cannot say in more detail, because there are certain agreements, at this moment their implementation should start. Whether it will start or not, I can’t say that, but there are certain agreements, it’s clear. Again, I ask both our compatriots and the Cabinet members to consider that this is a dynamic process. Also, I want to once again clarify our position regarding the possible transfer of our compatriots from Nagorno Karabakh to the Republic of Armenia.
Our assessment is that this will happen and can happen in the conditions when it is recorded that it is impossible for our compatriots to stay in Nagorno-Karabakh, that is, if this situation continues. Yes, we assess that this impossibility exists at the moment. In other words, if the situation does not improve, this issue will be on the agenda of all of us, but I also want to inform our public that on September 19, that is, the day of the start of operations, I gave an instruction to the Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan to discuss with the government colleagues how, with what, where will we support our compatriots in case of a possible flow of people to the Republic of Armenia.
I also talked about it on my air yesterday. more than 40 thousand places have been prepared. Also, we are talking about places to stay, as well as health care, food, etc. In other words, in that sense, we can record that we are ready and continue to prepare, but I want to say again that, in fact, this is position is agreed upon with the partners of Nagorno Karabakh.
This is also an important point, that our plan “a” is not to depopulate Nagorno Karabakh, that is, to evacuate our compatriots from Nagorno Karabakh is not our plan “a”, we must do everything so that our compatriots, Nagorno Karabakh residents have the opportunity to live in their homes without fear, with dignity and safety. And in fact, the key emphasis that took place in the UN Security Council, on which there was practically a consensus, was about this, and we should be guided by this logic.
Dear colleagues, dear people, of course, on the other hand, I cannot help but notice that it should be recorded that a hybrid war is taking place against the Republic of Armenia in the information field. And in this regard, I think that we should be more attentive and keep our communication with the public more active. And it is very important to keep the credibility of official information, that is, what we say, we have to measure, check, recheck several times, and then publish.
But on the other hand, for example, yesterday I spoke about the threat to the lives of the civilian population. My assessment last night was, and today that assessment has improved slightly, very slightly, that there is no direct threat to the life of the civilian population at this time. But I say again, it should be noted that the situation is dynamic and can change at any time, although I say again, I wouldn’t have made this statement if I didn’t see certain trends in the dynamics that make it possible to make such a statement.
But I say again, the situation is changeable, I cannot say that it is stable, and in individual cases, when talking about the civilian population, it does not mean that no incident can happen in any place. It is about the general assessment of the situation. And we need to continue our active cooperation with our media field as well, so that people get the right information, because in this emotional situation, any negative information can have a negative impact on the situation and decision-making, and for this it is very important that we assess the situation based on verified news.
I repeat once again: the Republic of Armenia has been prepared since the first day the situation emerged. We have realized, we have taken into account that such a situation can happen. When we say we have prepared, we have prepared according to our abilities and logic, and we can do more, we will spare nothing for it. But I say again, I addressed the questions in my air yesterday, and in fact, I can confirm everything I said yesterday, because the discussions we had this morning, the information we received, give us hope that we can really have positive dynamics.
We will follow the information during the day, I think at the end of the day, maybe again, if necessary, I can go on the air and inform the public whether the morning assessments have changed or not”.
INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA