Baku`s provocation in Artsakh aimed to neutralize Armenia`s efforts to establish peace - Nikol Pashinyan

ArmInfo. Baku's provocation in Artsakh, on June 27, was aimed to neutralize Armenia's efforts to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the solution of issues of ensuring rights and security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan stated at a Cabinet meeting on June 29.

The prime minister recalled that in the context of the humanitarian crisis that arose due to the illegal, prolonged blockade by Azerbaijan of the Lachin corridor - the only road linking Armenia with Artsakh (from December 12, 2022 - ed.), on June 28, from 01:30, the Azerbaijani armed forces using artillery installations and UAVs opened fire in the direction of the Armenian positions in Martuni and Martakert, the Armenian side had 4 dead.

"Azerbaijan has been preparing yesterday's provocation in Nagorno-Karabakh for a long time, carrying out information stuffing about the alleged violation of the ceasefire by the Defense Army. The fabrications of the Azerbaijani media were consistently exposed by the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh, as a result of which it became obvious that Azerbaijan was pursuing a consistent policy of aggravating the situation and expelling the Armenians. That is, the policy that we have been warning about for a long time," the prime minister said.

Under these conditions, according to Pashinyan, Azerbaijan's goal is obvious - to aggravate the situation and expel the Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh.

This style of Baku's behavior makes its true goals obvious to the international community, he noted. "The recently adopted PACE resolution speaks about this. It refers to the concern of PACE in connection with Baku's hateful and threatening rhetoric towards Armenians at the highest level. The body also calls for measures to be taken and to refrain from propaganda and spread of violence," the premier said.

The same resolution, recalled the head of the Cabinet, states that the current unstable situation may lead to the expulsion of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh from their homes. In this vein, PACE calls for an urgent solution to the issue of ensuring the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh and the formation of a dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku. The importance of the speedy dispatch of a fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh. and the Lachin corridor is also noted.

According to Pashinyan, the adopted resolution is important in terms of drawing the attention of the international community to the

humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

At the same time, he stressed, the Armenian delegation continues negotiations in Washington on the text of the peace treaty. "There is no alternative to peace in the region, the RA government, faced with all the difficulties, will continue to work in this direction," Mr Pashinyan said.