Monday, April 19 2021 12:07

ArmInfo. The security of Armenia and Artsakh is based today - it was based yesterday, but today it is even more based - on the Armenian-Russian military-political alliance  and partnership.

This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on  April 18 during the visit of the communities of Rind, Zaritap,  Khndzorut and Getap of Vayots Dzor region. The Prime Minister met  with local residents, touched upon the current situation in the  country, the circumstances of the Artsakh war, the prospects for  economic development and upcoming programs.

The right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination is preserved  at the international level, and this was achieved at the cost of  heroism and the lives of our guys, the head of the Cabinet of  Ministers noted. So, according to Pashinyan, " it is very important  to answer the question of why our guys died." "There is a very clear  answer to this question: so that the Republic of Artsakh can stand.   And we must state that, yes, Artsakh is still standing, even though  it is wounded. And we must state that the goal of Azerbaijan and  Turkey was the complete destruction of Artsakh as a subject. And it  was thanks to our guys, our soldiers, our army that we were able,  yes, with difficulty, but to survive in the 44-day war. Yes, Artsakh  is wounded, we are all wounded, but Artsakh is standing, the Republic  of Armenia is standing, " he said.

Pashinyan recalled that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group issued  a statement a few days ago, in which they stressed the need to  resolve the Nagorno - Karabakh conflict, thereby emphasizing the  unresolved issue. "Why is it important? This is important because  Azerbaijan tried to imagine that the Karabakh issue is now resolved,  that there is no Karabakh issue. However, the Co-Chairs stressed that  the issue should be resolved on the basis of the principles of the  elements known to the parties. Let me remind you that the most  important of these elements is the right of the people of Artsakh to  self-determination. And we can state that the right of the people of  Artsakh to self-determination is preserved at the international  level, and this was achieved at the cost of heroism and the lives of  our guys," he said.

The security of Armenia and Artsakh, according to the Prime Minister,  " is based today - it was based yesterday, but today it is even more  based - on the Armenian-Russian military-political alliance and  partnership." "And I want to emphasize that one of the most important  components of our security system is the joint Armenian-Russian  military group, which logically means that an attack on Armenia means  an attack on Russia," Pashinyan said.

According to the Prime Minister, the deployment of the peacekeeping  contingent in Artsakh adds significant security guarantees for  Artsakh. However, I want to note one more fact. "For example, in the  context of the 44-day Karabakh war, there is a lot of talk about what  Russia's role was, or why this role was not what some in Armenia  thought. And how do we assess the Armenian-Russian friendship and  strategic partnership in this context?" asked Pashinyan.

Of course, the Armenian-Russian friendship and partnership, according  to the Prime Minister, are strong, as they always were, and will  continue to be strong. "Russia is our ally. Russia is our fraternal  state, but I want to state once again that Russia is not an enemy of  Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan is not an enemy of Russia. Russia has  fulfilled all its contractual obligations to Armenia, because the  security mechanism that we had extended to the Republic of Armenia,  inside the borders of the Republic of Armenia.

And the borders of the Republic of Armenia are described in the law  of the Republic of Armenia on administrative-territorial division  adopted in 2010. I want you to pay attention to this nuance: in 2010,  the Republic of Armenia adopted a law on administrative-territorial  division, which emphasizes that Azerbaijan is located in the east of  the Shurnukh community of the Syunik region. Not the Republic of  Artsakh, but Azerbaijan. It states that Azerbaijan is located in the  east of Kapan. Not the Republic of Artsakh, but Azerbaijan.

I will not touch on the details of the war today, because the day  before I raised this topic in Parliament in my voluminous speech and  in the course of questions and answers. But I want to emphasize: yes,  my assessment is that a 44-day war was inevitable, because in 2018,  Armenia actually reached its red line in terms of concessions on the  Nagorno-Karabakh issue. There was no other choice but to try to stand  up, to defend their rights, to defend the interests of the Armenian  people and the people of Artsakh.

However, I will say more, even if we tried to reach a peaceful  settlement at the cost of these concessions, there would be war  again. Why? Because the differences between the mediation circles and  in the region have deepened so much that there would be no  solution-even if Armenia agreed to a solution that was not in its  interests - there would be no solution that other players would agree  to. And, consequently, in the context of these contradictions, war  rwould inevitably arise.

But now the main question is how to overcome this defeat, how to  overcome this blow. The answer is one: work, creative work, " Nikol  Pashinyan stressed.