Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Artsakh President Bako Sahakian on Saturday chaired a joint meeting of the national security agencies of Armenia and Artsakh in Stepanakert. This is the third such meeting, which aims to advance issues of regional and national security for the two republics.
In his remarks, Pashinyan said that the partnership between Armenia and Artsakh is a key security measure for the population of both countries, adding that the leadership of Armenia and Artsakh share the same view on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.
He explained that one of the shared principles is that it would be impossible to resolve the conflict without the full participation of Artsakh in the negotiations.
“Of course, one of the most important areas of cooperation between Artsakh and Armenia is security, because Artsakh and Armenia are one security zone and in this context the goals of Armenia and Artsakh can in no way be different. We attach great importance to the combat readiness of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, as well as to the moral and psychological situation in the Armed Forces,” Pashinyan said, adding that in 2019 the Government of Armenia allocated huge resources for making significant changes in the army, including acquisition of new weapons.
Highlighting the role of army as the key security guarantee for Armenia and Artsakh, Pashinyan said that democracy is also an important security guarantee. “We know that soon national elections will take place in Artsakh and I think that the elections during the entire existence of Artsakh have shown the drastic differences between the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Azerbaijan in terms of democracy, which is one of the reasons why Artsakh and Azerbaijan can never form a joint political structure,” said Pashinyan.
Pashinyan also said that a strong economy in both Armenia and Artsakh contributes to the security, since economic well-being will provide the armed forces with the necessary tools to become stronger.
”I think that today, in the context of the geopolitical realities prevailing in the region, we must state that we have a joint responsibility not only in terms of security of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, but also from the point of view of ensuring regional and global security. And I’m glad to state that the approaches of the authorities of Armenia and Artsakh are identical on this issue,” said Pashinyan.
