Armenian Prime Minister: Turkish military presence in South Caucasus will do no good            

ArmInfo. Since this morning, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have bombed settlements on the territory of Armenia, and since September 27, Nagorno-Karabakh has been subjected to large-scale military aggression. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this on the air of the ''60 minutes'' program on the Russia-1 TV channel.

At the same time, he added that the settlements are being fired from different-caliber weapons, including artillery and multiple launch rocket systems. The prime minister informed that there are casualties, including among the civilian population.

At the same time, Pashinyan spoke about Turkey's involvement in this process. "According to our reliable information, Turkish military instructors are now in Azerbaijani command posts, and directly direct military operations," he said, adding that Turkey also recruits mercenaries, which it transfers to Azerbaijan to be used in battles against Artsakh. There are reports, the prime minister continued, that clashes between these mercenaries and local residents have already occurred in Azerbaijani villages.

The head of the Armenian government also called the information about the shooting down of the Armenian Su-25 attack aircraft by a Turkish F-16 as a fact. “One thing is clear that both the Armenians of Armenia and Artsakh are under the immediate threat of Turkey, which is looking for a reason for wider involvement in the conflict. Turkey is looking for an excuse to send troops to Nakhijevan, an enclave bordering Armenia and Iran. Moreover, we already have information about the presence of some Turkish units there, "he said, adding that since August, the Turkish military have been on Azerbaijani territory, where they took part in the exercises, and this war is a kind of continuation of these exercises.

At the same time, he added that there is a war going on, there is a lot of destruction, and a large number of soldiers are involved.

Recalling the first genocide against the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century, Pashinyan noted that what is happening in Armenia today is perceived as an existential threat against the Armenian people.

The Armenian prime minister also noted that the international community should condemn these aggressive actions of Azerbaijan and Turkey, moreover, it should demand that Ankara withdraw from this region, since the Turkish military presence in the South Caucasus will do no good, but will lead to even greater escalation, an increase in this conflict.

The head of the Armenian government also believes that the negotiation process on the settlement of the Karabakh issue should continue on the platform where it began.

Pashinyan ruled out the possibility of a military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. He said that he sees a way out only in peace negotiations. “The negotiation process should continue on the platform where it began - in the OSCE Minsk Group. But for negotiations you need to have an appropriate atmosphere. It is very difficult to talk about negotiations when there are  military actions going on. First of all, it is necessary to stop the violence, and Azerbaijan must accept the formula: there is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, ”he said, recalling that the military-political leadership for a long time spoke with belligerent rhetoric, which is unacceptable. He also expressed hope that these events will force the Azerbaijani authorities to abandon the forceful settlement of the conflict, since the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have failed the tasks of their military-political leadership.

He once again pointed out that there is no alternative to the peace talks, adding that any solution to the conflict must be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan. In conclusion, he expressed regret over the fact that the President of Azerbaijan is in favor of a settlement acceptable to only one side, which is impossible, and noted that it was Azerbaijan that unleashed this war, which was planned in advance during joint exercises with the Turkish side.