ArmInfo. Manipulation of the presidential election in Artsakh will not succeed. This was announced on January 25 at a press conference in Kapan by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.
According to him, having lost all hope of return, the former Armenian government now relies on the upcoming Karabakh presidential election, putting forward a person who has already been rejected by the people of the republic. For the leaders of Artsakh and Armenia, this scenario is obvious, it is understandable also in terms of national security. As an example, the prime minister points to statements by representatives of the former authorities about the allegedly conducted anti-people policy of the new authorities of Armenia in relation to Artsakh. In particular, the point is that if a president is elected who is not against the current policy of the Armenian authorities, then in this case there will be threats to the security of Karabakh. "There are even statements voiced about the allegedly wonderful legacy that Serzh Sargsyan left", Nikol Pashinyan said.
As an example, he dwelled on this legacy, which was published, and about which there were no rebuttals from the previous government. In particular, the return of seven regions to Azerbaijan - Aghdam, Fizuli, Dzhabrail, Zangelan, Kubatly, Kelbajar and Lachin with the condition of providing direct ground communication between Artsakh and Armenia. Then it was planned to hold a referendum on the status of Karabakh, the results of which should become mandatory, and which should comply with international standards, bearing in mind that the referendum may include all options related to the status. It was also planned to completely resolve all issues related to the economic, political, humanitarian fields, restore good-neighborly relations, and ensure security in the region of the South Caucasus. The Azerbaijani authorities would gain control of these areas after peacekeeping forces were deployed with the withdrawal of all armed forces. It was planned to deploy peacekeeping forces along the entire border of the administrative regions of Karabakh, with the exception of Lachin and Kelbajar. At the same time, the Kelbajar region should have been permanently in the OSCE monitoring zone. It was also planned that until the conflict was fully resolved, Nagorno-Karabakh would enjoy special status.
"And this is the very inheritance that was on the table, which is not refuted, and on which accusations against us sound that we lost this legacy, "said Nikol Pashinyan. He called on all candidates for Artsakh's presidency to officially and publicly declare whether this text suits them or not." Let the peoples of Artsakh and Armenia also express themselves, and if it turns out that these proposals suit them, I guarantee that on the same day they will be on the negotiating table, "the head of the Armenian government said.
The prime minister also noted that upon assuming the post of head of government, he was invited to resume negotiations precisely with these offers. But at a joint meeting of the security councils of Artsakh and Armenia in Stepanakert, completely different points of view were expressed.
Earlier, ArmInfo reported that the presidential and parliamentary elections in Artsakh will be held on March 31, 2020, this day is declared non-working in the republic. The Chairman of the Free Homeland Party Araik Harutyunyan, the current Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan, the former Secretary of the Security Council Vitaly Balasanyan announced their intention to take part in the presidential election.