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Vazgen Manukyan, the joint candidate of the Homeland Salvation Movement for interim prime minister of Armenia, on Monday held a meeting with intellectuals and cultural figures.

“I still don’t fully understand what happened, because the consequences are so bitter that it’s simply hard to imagine,” Manukyan said at the meeting.

The opposition leader said he feels sorrow for the disgraceful defeat also because he knows that it could have been prevented.

“Let's put aside the fact that all this had been prepared for 2.5 years. In case of right policy, the war could have happened not now, perhaps later. We failed the negotiations, provoked the enemy and dragged us into a war.

“If we had continued to deal with the army for 2.5 years, we would not have suffered a defeat,” Manukyan said.

The candidate for caretaker prime minister noted that the disgraceful agreement signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on November 9 is unacceptable, but at the same time the document cannot be rejected, since Armenia’s efforts to combat its consequences have already been exhausted. Manukyan stressed that the only positive part of the agreement is that it prevented more casualties.

“Sometimes I ask myself a question: was this agreement consistent with the military situation that existed at the time of its signing? I think no. I don’t understand: if it is announced that a war is going on between Azerbaijan and Artsakh, why should the agreement contain issues related to Armenia, the road through Meghri? What is the connection here if it is officially announced that the war is going on between Artsakh and Azerbaijan?” Manukyan said.

He underlined that in those days not only Armenia’s, but also Azerbaijan’s resources were running out and the latter could not hold out for a long time.

“Taking this factor into account, if we had a normal leader, a big political trade could take place, this document could be made different through negotiations. This is such a poorly-designed document that only 5 or 10 days were given for the withdrawal of the Armenian forces from Karvachar. Everyone understands that the withdrawal of troops from the area may take months,” the politician said.

“As a matter of fact, such agreements have secret appendices, dozens of pages on what to do and how. There is nothing of the kind. Thus, this or that point can be turned in our favor through negotiations. But who will conduct the talks? The man who led our country to a defeat? He [Nikol Pashinyan] is not accepted not only in our country. For the whole world, he is a political corpse, although he keeps fighting.

“Don’t you see what is happening in Armenia? Borders of Artsakh are being attacked, but no action is taken, no decisions are made. Naturally, any defeated leader steps down after the defeat,” Manukyan added.