Discussion of concessions amid hostilities untimely: Armenia’s PM says diplomatic solution possible after issue of terrorists is settled

The discussion of concessions amid the hostilities is not timely at all, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview to Russian Interfax.

“The self-defense forces of Nagorno Karabakh are in trenches now and at this very moment the terrorist group forces transported to Azerbaijan by Turkey – both the mercenaries and terrorists – are concretely attacking Nagorno Karabakh’s self-defense forces. Do you understand the situation of the people [Karabakh army] fighting there and by the way not against Azerbaijan, i.e. not against the Azerbaijani army but terrorists. And in this situation, do you imagine their response if I say now that we are ready for concessions with these terrorists. I said, we are ready for concessions with Azerbaijan,” Armenia’s PM stressed.

Pashinyan said the very important and principle issue is the issue of Nagorno Karabakh status.

“But now all this process has come out of Nagorno Karabakh conflict pre-context. The first thing we should do is bring the process to the pace of negotiations. The presence of terrorists may have concrete consequences not only for the countries of our region but the ones close to it too,” he said, expressing regret that though the regional countries have officially admitted the presence of terrorist groups in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone, they have not initiated concrete anti-terrorist steps.

“This is the main moment, the chief impediment which does not allow us to come to diplomatic solution,” Pashinyan said.

He stressed that first it is necessary to solve the issue of terrorists, because “if they record success here, they will continue moving to south and north. It is their professional work – terror, destabilize and it is not of great difference for them where to do it,” Pashinyan said.