Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, escorted by National Assembly Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan, Im Kayl MPs and top military brass, today visited Yerevan’s Yerablour Military Pantheon and paid his respects to those who lost their lives in the 2016 Artsakh “Four Day War” and the liberation of Artsakh in the early 1990s.

Pashinyan laid wreaths at the graves of Vazgen Sargsyan (an Armenian military commander and politician who was assassinated in 1999),  General Antranig Ozanian, and those who died in 2016.

The Armenian Prime Minister, according to an Armenian government press release, also spoke to relatives of those who were killed in the fighting.

When asked by reporters what lessons had been learnt from the events of 2016, Pashinyan replied that his government is focusing on the problems that cropped up three years ago and that Armenia must understand what happened.

Pashinyan also referred to his recent meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“The negotiations process, the peaceful process, must continue. But we must understand that since the conflict hasn’t been settled, we, as a people and government, must be ready for all eventualities.

Regarding remarks made by Armenian Minister of Defense Davit Tonoyan in New York last week that the “land for peace” formula is obsolete and should be replaced by the “new wars, new lands” outlook, Pashinyan said people were making a mountain out of a molehill because, in essence, he agrees with the statement.

“The uproar over Davit Tonoyan’s remarks is ridiculous because I would have dismissed Tonoyan as defense minister if he had said anything else. What did the defense minister say? He said that if suddenly there is war, we will strive to be victorious,” Pashinyan told reporters, adding that Tonoyan’s remarks will not negatively impact Karabakh negotiations.

“On the contrary”, Pashinyan said, “the remarks stress the need for a peaceful settlement.”