The RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to Sky news TV channel. Below is the publication:
The RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan states that for Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, the conflict with Azerbaijan has, in fact, turned into a "fight against international terrorism".
Faced with an unsolvable problem that arose long before his tenure, and citing rumors of Syrian mercenaries, Mr. Pashinyan called the recent escalation of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan a "civilized issue".
Nikol Pashinyan told Sky News. "First of all, Turkey is directly and completely involved in the conflict, provoking and inflaming it. Turkey has transferred mercenaries and terrorists from Syria to the conflict zone, which changes the whole context." He added. "In fact, this is nothing but the struggle of Nagorno Karabakh and the Republic of Armenia against international terrorism".
Mr. Pashinyan also accuses Turkey of supporting Azerbaijan "for pursuing a genocidal policy against Armenians and developing the country's ambitions". He said. "Let's look at what Turkey is doing in the Mediterranean, in Libya, in Syria, in Iraq. I have no doubt that this is a policy of continuing the Armenian Genocide and restoring the Turkish Empire".
These historical accusations do not contribute to the generation of new ideas for conflict resolution. The Prime Minister reiterated his negotiating position that any peaceful settlement must be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, although the Azerbaijani leadership has refused to negotiate with the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh leadership.
Turkey's current stance takes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to a new level. However, it remains a territorial dispute that was not settled by the previous governments of Armenia and the Aliyev dynasty (father and son).
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, we are witnessing escalating violence, which has already resulted in numerous civilian casualties. Mr. Pashinyan's comments today suggest that he tends to resume the peace process as soon as possible.
