Vanetsyan blasts Pashinyan over Artsakh remarks
Opposition politician Artur Vanetsyan, a former MP and security chief who leads the Homeland Party, has denounced Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s latest statements on Artsakh and a peace treaty with Azerbaijan.
Speaking in the parliament on Tuesday, Pashinyan reaffirmed that Armenia “fully recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan" and called for a peace treaty to be signed with the country "without ambiguities and pitfalls." In return, he said, Baku must recognize Armenia's territory within its Soviet-era borders.
He reiterated that when Armenia agreed to negotiate with Azerbaijan based on the Madrid Principles in 2007 it recognized Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as part of Azerbaijan.
“I believe there are numerous reasons to bring Pashinyan to court,” Vanetsyan told 168.am in an interview on Tuesday.
He claims all statements made by Pashinyan contradict each other.
"He says, 'I have no right to negotiate on behalf of the Artsakh people’. The question arises: why did you sign this disgraceful capitulation on their behalf on November 9, 2020? Why did you cede to the enemy the territories where, according to the statement, the Armenian troops were to stay?” Vanetsyan said.
“Azerbaijani forces were stationed just 60-70 kilometers away from the borders of Syunik. If you are not responsible for Artsakh, why did you announce ‘Artsakh is Armenia, period’? Why did you interfere in Artsakh's internal political affairs? You should have said from the very beginning that you had renounced Artsakh," Vanetsyan added.
The former National Security Service states Pashinyan is trying to “say nice things to people because they are tired of problems and war.”