ArmInfo.There are false reports that Yerevan has banned or closed the entry of the residents of Nagorno Karabakh who want to cross to Armenia. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said on the evening of September 21 during a Facebook live broadcast, speaking about the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Firstly, we all know that the Lachin corridor has been closed for 10 months, and during all this time, and at the present moment, the Armenian roads leading to the Lachin corridor have not been closed for a minute, and continue to remain open. Moreover, at the beginning of the week, I gave an order to form a working group to receive possible groups of refugees from Artsakh, to resolve issues of their residence. We just didn't announce it," he said.
At the same time, according to him, different scenarios were discussed: what could happen, what groups could come, etc. "We even reserved hotel rooms and prepared tens of thousands of places to stay," he said. All this was done earlier this week because when the process began, it was clear that this could happen, he added.
Pashinyan emphasized that in his previous speeches he constantly accused Azerbaijan of trying to carry out ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. <Now, when I analyze the situation, I get the impression that there are forces that want to implement Azerbaijan's plan for ethnic cleansing in such a way that Azerbaijan has nothing to blame. So that it would say: look, Armenia, the society of Armenia, the society of Nagorno- Karabakh themselves decided that not a single Armenian should remain in Nagorno-Karabakh, and they left. This is a very dangerous narrative. But, on the other hand, ensuring the stay and life of our compatriots of Nagorno-Karabakh in a safe place "is among our obligations," he said.
According to him, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan reported to him that preparatory work has been carried out in Armenia to receive about 40 thousand families. <We did not want to talk about this, because we believe that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh should live in their homes, in their homeland, in decent, safe conditions. At the moment, our assessment is that there is no direct threat to the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh>, he emphasized.
Pashinyan once again recalled the presence of the RPC in NK and the fact that they take care about the safety of thecivilian population. Yerevan is also ready to take all possible measures, but the Lachin corridor remains closed and humanitarian cargo is still awaiting passage to NK, he added. In addition, Pashinyan noted, Yerevan has information that yesterday more than 10 thousand residents of NK were invited to the Stepanakert airport with the possibility that they would be transported to the Republic of Armenia. "They were photographed, and then they said that Armenia did not give permission for their entry. And then these photographs were published. It is obvious to me that this is being done with the aim of internal political upheavals in the Republic of Armenia and creating chaos," the prime minister said.
On September 19, after Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during a Facebook live broadcast, "recorded attempts to involve Armenia in military escalation." He called on the citizens of the Republic of Armenia to treat the situation soberly, with a cool head, and to refrain from any "uncalculated, abrupt, adventurous actions." On September 20, after Stepanakert's statement about accepting the RPC's proposal for a ceasefire, in particular, on the terms of the "withdrawal of the remaining units and military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia" from Nagorno-Karabakh, Pashinyan noted that "mentioning the name of Republic of Armenia in a text "which has basically nothing to do with the Republic of Armenia " justifies his hypothesis, voiced yesterday, that one of the goals of this aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh was to involve Armenia in military operations, which would ultimately jeopardize the sovereignty and independence of the RA. He also stated that from now on, the obligation to fully and unconditionally protect the Armenians of the NK, and ensure the rights of Armenians to live with dignity and safety in their homes, on their land, becomes the obligation of the RPC, and the RA authorities <in practical terms will monitor developments".