About 20,000 soldiers and officers of the Defense Army of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) would be surrounded if Armenia refused to sign the trilateral declaration on cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. This was announced by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday.
"We could have lost Stepanakert in a matter of days, and after that, we would have lost Askeran and Martakert. If we lost these cities, more than 20 thousand soldiers and officers would be in a ring with the prospect of death or capture, the fall of Karvachar and Kashatagh would be inevitable," he said during a live broadcast on his Facebook page.
Tripartite statement
The signed trilateral statement by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev does not imply the final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Pashinyan said.
"This document does not envisage a meaningful settlement of the Karabakh issue. It is only about ending the war in Karabakh. The conflict was not solved then, and it is not solved now," he noted.
Peacekeepers
Pashinyan also noted that Russian peacekeepers, who, according to the signed statement of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, are already deployed in the Lachin corridor, would ensure the security of land communication between Yerevan and Stepanakert.
"Russian peacekeepers will provide security for Karabakh residents throughout the territory. They will also ensure stability and security of land communication between Yerevan and Stepanakert," he noted.
Maintaining stability
Pashinyan also underlined that preservation of stability in Armenia is the main priority of the government of the republic.
"Our main task is to ensure stability in the country. We will not let the people lose power, and the forces patronized by representatives of the former government will be able to create chaos," he noted.
Protests have been held in Armenia since November 10 demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who, according to opposition politicians, "signed the capitulation and surrendered Karabakh to Azerbaijanis". On Thursday the Special Investigation Service of Armenia made a decision to place 10 opposition politicians under preliminary arrest, including the leader of "Prosperous Armenia" party Gagik Tsarukyan, head of "Motherland", ex-director of National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan, representative of "Dashnaktsutyun" party Ishkhan Saghatelyan.
On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Pashinyan signed a joint statement on the complete cessation of military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh. Representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of Armenia said on Tuesday that the armed forces of the republic would implement the agreements and called on people to refrain from actions that destabilize the situation in the country. Armenian President Armen Sargsyan announced the start of political consultations to discuss the current situation.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia
Based on materials from TASS