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Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who leads the My Step bloc’s list for the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, decried the ‘false’ claims of Republican (HHK) candidate David Shahnazaryan alleging the government is planning a conspiracy against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

The National Security Service (NSS) summoned today Shahnazaryan to introduce documents and other materials substantiating his claims, with the candidate calling the summoning ‘political persecution’ against him. 

“In fact, he has accused us of planning a conspiracy against Artsakh, Armenia and the Armenian people with some other forces,” Pashinyan told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday.

He stressed the country’s national security must take action following such a statement, and if they reveal that the April revolution was part of such a plan, then those conspirators must be identified and held accountable.

“If any person occasionally makes statements and refuses to submit facts to the NSS, let him present publicly during news conferences what kind of conspiracy it is or who are behind it. The public must at least know for sure if there is a conspiracy or a simple lie,” he said.

“Let’s make it clear; there is a statement supposing that the Armenian government has conspired or is conspiring against Artsakh. This amounts to high treason. And if someone voices about a treason but refuses to report the police on it, then he is a charlatan,” he stressed.

Commenting to Shahnazaryan’s another statement alleging Azerbaijan is carrying out large-scale construction works close to the border to launch an attack, Pashinyan said: “Azerbaijan has been preparing for an attack over 20 years already. If David Shahnazaryan is not aware of it, I inform him, and only him: Doesn’t anyone know what’s happening along the border? Is it something new that Azerbaijan constantly announces its plans to settle the Artsakh conflict through military operations?”