Pashinyan instructs MFA to apply to UN on Karabakh issue

“For already a long time Azerbaijan’s state and near-state propaganda creates a media background for a large-scale attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, the tendencies of tension are also visible on the ground.

The military-political leadership of Azerbaijan sees preparations for ethnic cleansing and genocide against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

I consider it important and urgent for Armenia to take measures to prevent genocides and launch international mechanisms. We are talking, in particular, about the mechanisms provided in the framework of the United Nations Organization. I have given relevant instructions to the Foreign Ministry on this,” Nikol Pashinyan said at the government sitting.

He reminded that the works are also underway on sending an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“I think that the fact-finding mission is also important to address Azerbaijan’s baseless claims that Armenia has an army in Nagorno-Karabakh and that military transportations are carried out from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. These claims are baseless, and Azerbaijan is trying to make them a new pretext for regional military escalation, therefore, sending an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor is necessary in this regard,” Pashinyan said.

He said that Nagorno-Karabakh has a Defense Army the existence of which is justified as long as the danger of ethnic cleansing and genocide hangs over the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The Defense Army is not the only mechanism for preventing the genocide of the Nagorno-Karabakh people, the Russian peacekeeping force is also such a mechanism. We can record that in the November 9, 2020 statement Russia recorded that the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh is in danger. We hope that Russia will completely fulfill its function, but if our friend and ally Russia cannot fulfill this role for any objective reason, then it should apply to the UN Security Council to launch additional international mechanisms in the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh,” Nikol Pashinyan said.