Sunday, March 3 2019 23:49

ArmInfo.The Prime Minister of Armenia does not have a mandate from the people of Artsakh on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was stated on the  First Public Television Channel by the Armenian Foreign Minister  Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.  

According to him, the Prime Minister of Armenia  has quite clearly formulated the approaches that relate to  negotiations on the settlement of the conflict around  Nagorno-Karabakh. <You know, the Prime Minister also clearly  explained the essence of the mandate of the head of the executive  body of Armenia  - by whom this mandate is given and how the Prime  Minister can fulfill this mandate. The Prime Minister of Armenia has  the mandate given by the citizens of the Republic of Armenia and he  will fulfill his functions in this regard.

The most important thing, as the Armenian Foreign Minister stressed,  is that Armenia in no case will refuse to fulfill its obligations as  a negotiating party. "We have always stressed and argued that Armenia  has been and remains the main guarantor of Artsakh's security,"  Mnatsakanyan stressed, adding in this context that "everything that  exists today is a security system built by our own hands, and there  is no other system or mechanism.

"For us, the question is specifically about security, moreover, the  physical security of the people of Karabakh," the Foreign Minister  stressed, "there is no return to the past, and there cannot be" . He  noted that when Armenia talks about the status of Artsakh, it means  precisely this, there is no return to the past and the issue of  security is a priority. "There will be no situation when we again  endanger the safety of our compatriots, the life of the people of  Artsakh. And we have explained this many times. In 1994, a system was  created that provides one thing - physical security, and our  assertions about status proceed precisely from this. There can be no  return to the past, since there can be no situation in which we will  harm this security. This will not happen>, Mnatsakanyan stressed  emphatically.

The Armenian diplomat assured that Armenia, in terms of its  obligations, remains decisive and does not try to create an image of  the side trying to complicate the process or to switch its  obligations to another track.  He once again stressed that Armenia is  committed to its obligations and conducts negotiations on its part.   "But if we want results, we should take into account the reality -  the Armenian Prime Minister does not have a mandate from the Artsakh  people," said Mnatsakanyan.

Answering to the remark about whether there is a discrepancy as the  previous authorities also did not have a mandate, but actually  conducted negotiations on behalf of Artsakh, the minister expressed  the conviction that everyone who notes this discrepancy does not take  into account the reality that has developed today - Prime Minister  through elections, received a mandate  precisely from the citizens of  the Republic of Armenia, and he can speak for the citizens of the  country - from Tavush to Syunik.