ArmInfo. If one of the candidates for the presidency of Artsakh in the upcoming elections in 2020 believes that he enlisted the support of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, then he is mistaken. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh Arman Melikyan.
It should be noted that the Pashinyan rally convened on the Stepanakert Renaissance Square was attended by large "support groups" of the pro-government candidate, ex-Prime Minister of Artsakh Araik Harutyunyan and ex-Minister of Defense of Artsakh Samvel Babayan. In particular, Harutyunyan is actively trying to introduce himself as Pashinyan's presidential candidate.
"In my opinion, it's premature to draw any conclusions, let alone final ones. It is possible that new presidential candidates and even new teams will appear on the stage. In this light, in the context of Pashinyan's alleged sympathies, there may well be surprises for many "- he stressed.
According to Melikyan's estimates, by organizing the same rally in Stepanakert, the Armenian prime minister in a certain sense already distanced himself from the Artsakh authorities. In particular, Pashinyan spoke to the Artsakh people not as a friend, an official guest of the local ruling elite. The Armenian prime minister acted directly as a guest of the Artsakh people. Speaking in the square, on the street, and not in the hall with the owners, Pashinyan, in the opinion of the diplomat, demonstrated exactly this.
Presidential elections will be held in the Republic of Artsakh in 2020. The ex-defense minister, Artsakh hero Samvel Babayan has already announced his intention to participate in them. The candidate of power is the former Prime Minister of the republic, the leader of the Free Homeland party Araik Harutyunyan. The opposition party "National Revival" also announced its intention to take part in the elections.