“My objective is Armenia’s future,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday when responding to a question posed by an opposition lawmaker, who inquired about the government’s plans for the future of Artsakh.
This statement was seen as another attempt by Pashinyan to distance himself from Artsakh, after recognizing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity that includes Baku’s sovereignty over Artsakh. His numerous declarations were used by Azerbaijan to justify its actions against the Armenians of Artsakh, who were forced to flee their homes after Azerbaijani forces launched a large-scale attack on September 19.
Seyran Ohanyan, the leader of the opposition Hayastan faction asked Pashinyan whether his government had a strategy for the future of Artsakh.
In response, the prime minister said he wants to strengthen Armenia’s security and sovereignty. He used the opportunity to blame Armenia’s former regimes for the loss of Artsakh and claimed that certain forces used the Artsakh situation to undermine Armenia’s independence and its institutions.
Ohanyan retorted by accusing Pashinyan of avoiding and evading the questions.
“It is during your leadership that Artsakh was depopulated,” Ohanyan fired back. “And it is during your rule that negotiations with Azerbaijan came to a halt because of your contradictory statements and actions.”
“You are doing nothing to reclaim our historic territory of Artsakh, or, at the very least, negotiate toward that end,” Ohanyan said.
In response, Pashinyan said that, as the prime minister of Armenia, “my objective is the future of Armenia.”
“The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia gives me responsibility for the future of the Republic of Armenia and I am focused on that issue,” added Pashinyan.