Armenian President: Regardless of what problems exist between the  country and neighbors, playing with fire of nuclear issue is  unacceptable

ArmInfo. The Armed Forces of  Armenia saved the region from the blazes of large-scale clashes.  President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian stated this in an interview  with the reputable Syrian Al-Azmenah newspaper.

So, Sarkissian, referring to the latest escalation of the situation  on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, noted that: "These days  when the entire world and we are fighting against our common enemy,  the coronavirus pandemic, and regardless of the fact that conflicts  all over the world have been halted, our neighboring country -  Azerbaijan tried to take advantage of the situation and use in the  negative sense this "window of opportunity" to unleash aggression on  the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Fortunately, the Armenian Armed  Forces demonstrated their high battle- ready spirit and literally in  two or three days were able to contain the encroachments of the  opponent and thus saved our region from the blazes of large-scale  clashes."

"It is especially true with regard to Moscow, Washington, and Paris -  the Co- Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict. But the Tavush events raised some serious concerns.

My first concern relates to a very aggressive rhetoric of our  southern neighbor - Turkey. Turkey has been using with regard to  Armenia a kind of language which is inappropriate in the  international relations. And this is absolutely unjustified and  irresponsible. Keep in mind that this is the country which was the  scene of a great human tragedy, the country which 105 years ago  executed a genocide against our nation. And instead of trying to  establish bridges with Armenia by recognizing those black pages of  its history, they resort to a language which in fact reveals their  intention to carry on with what was done 105 years ago," the head of  the RA stressed.

"The second concern is Azerbaijan's attempt to create an impression  that Armenia poses a threat to the international infrastructure which  is going through Azerbaijan. This is total nonsense. These  infrastructure has been in place for over 20 years, and Armenia has  never had any intention to destroy it. My message is the following:  Armenia has never been and will never be a threat for anyone because  we are the successors of those who went through the Genocide and  survived. We know all too well what suffering means, we know the  human values.  I am concerned that when the entire world is fighting  together against the coronavirus pandemic, some are undertaking  inhuman actions.

Another concern is about official statements coming from the  government of Azerbaijan or relevant structures on Azerbaijan's  threat to hit the Metsamore nuclear plant. I am a physicist and know  very well the real consequences of a strike on a nuclear power plant.  Thus, I take these statements as an intention to carry out a  terrorist act which in international relations is defined as nuclear  terrorism. God forbid it happens one day, we will have a Caucasian  Chernobyl.  Not only Armenia will be affected but everyone, including  Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, Middle East:   Regardless of what problems exist between the country and neighbors,  playing with fire of nuclear issue is unacceptable," Sarkissian said.

It should be noted that after the aggravation of the situation on the  Armenian-Azerbaijani state border on July 12, clashes occurred and  continue to occur in different cities and countries of the world, in  most of which groups of Azerbaijanis attack, as a rule, lonely  Armenians. Quite often these provocations turned into fights, there  are injured. Incidents were registered in the USA, in a number of  European countries, in different cities of the Russian Federation,  etc. Yesterday the car of the Armenian Embassy in Germany was burned.  In the evening, reports began to arrive about the beating of  Armenians in different parts of Moscow. There were serious clashes in  Munich, Belgium, Los Angeles.  The Union of Armenians of Russia made  a statement on the incidents in Moscow, strictly condemning such  actions of the Azerbaijani side and calling on compatriots not to  succumb to provocations.