Pashinyan: Certain forces have used the Karabakh issue to the detriment of Armenia’s statehood

I have already said that our strategic goal is to strengthen the statehood, sovereignty, and independence of Armenia; and we will continue to move in this direction. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this in parliament during the National Assembly-government question-and-answer session Wednesday.

According to Pashinyan, certain forces have used the Nagorno-Karabakh issue for one purpose only: to prevent Armenia from becoming a state.

“For me, this conviction is getting stronger over time,” he emphasized.

The PM repeated that there was no issue Nagorno-Karabakh after the Lisbon summit of 1996.

“We [the Armenian side] did not accept this reality. This is one of our deep problems, including that of our government. As a result of the above-mentioned summit, a statement was adopted according to which the Nagorno-Karabakh issue should be resolved within the framework of the right to self-determination; that is, Nagorno-Karabakh should receive an autonomous status within Azerbaijan.

“All of us have not always compared the terms we use with the perception of the bodies that have put these terms into circulation. As a result, an insurmountable gap came about between reality and our goal-setting,” explained Pashinyan.

“My task is the future of Armenia. The constitution of Armenia entrusts me with the accountability for the future of Armenia, and I am focused on this work,” added the PM.

As per Pashinyan, the statement that the Armenian authorities have abandoned Nagorno-Karabakh, “ingratitude.”

At the end, the premier assured that daily work was being done to have all Armenian captives in Azerbaijan returned.