Armenian MP lauds German leader's support for Artsakh's right to self-determination
Armenian opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan has praised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s support for the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) people’s right to self-determination, at the same time accusing Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of “lowering the bar” on Artsakh’s status.
At a joint news conference after talks with Pashinyan in Berlin on Thursday, the German leader called for a peaceful settlement based on the “territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh citizens’ right to self-determination”, saying these “principles are equal.”
“After the signing of the statement on November 9, 2020, Armenia spared no effort to achieve the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and ensure the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan said.
In a social media post on Friday, Abrahamyan, the secretary of the opposition Pativ Unem faction, claimed the Armenian premier “again lowered the bar” on Artsakh, speaking solely about the Artsakh Armenians’ rights and freedoms.
“Russia says that Artsakh's status should be left to the next generations to decide, i.e. it doesn't consider the issue to be resolved. Germany, which is a key EU member, speaks about the importance of the right to self-determination, while the Armenian authorities keep advancing the Azerbaijani narrative regarding exclusively the rights and freedoms of the Artsakh people, which is fully in line with the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan,” the deputy wrote.
“Obviously, it's not the international community which has lowered the bar on the Artsakh status, as Pashinyan claimed a year ago, but Pashinyan and his administration, because instead of Artsakh's independence, he is promoting the idea of its surrender,” Abrahamyan stated.