Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during his address to the nation today via a Facebook post, said that Azerbaijan’s "blitzkrieg" to occupy Karabakh has failed, but conceded that Armenian forces had retreated along some positions along the Line of Contact during the past eighteen days of fighting. 

"During the past eighteen days, we experienced a certain retreat in the north-south directions (meaning the line of contact between Artsakh and Azerbaijan). The enemy changed its tactics, trying to create chaos in the rear with subversive groups. The Defense Army is in control of the general situation with heavy fighting, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy, but we all need to know that a difficult situation has been created," Pashinyan said. 

Pashinyan emphasized that he was providing such information not to convey despair, but felt he needed to speak the truth to the public.

He said that Azerbaijan had reached a point in the negotiations where it demands that Artsakh fully revert to Baku’s control, without any special status, had proven unacceptable. 

Pashinyan recalled the battles on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in July of this year, emphasizing that those battles proved that Azerbaijan is not capable of resolving the Karabakh issue by military means. 

According to Pashinyan, this had a shocking significance not only for Azerbaijan, but also for other countries, first of all Turkey.

Pashinyan said that the Turkish-Azerbaijani war was not a surprise for the Armenian side, and that the Artsakh Defense Army has waged victorious battles from the very start of hostilities on September 27.

Pashinyan thanked the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries for their efforts.

"I especially thank Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom we have maintained intensive relations these days. Russia was able to fulfill its role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, a strategic ally of Armenia, at a high level," Pashinyan said. 

Pashinyan stressed that the solution to the conflict, at this juncture, is the recognition of Artsakh's independence by other countries and the condemnation of Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression.

"This is the culmination of our nationwide unification. It must be crowned with the realization of our specific national goals. It is impossible to break the Armenian people, we will stand until the end. The name of that end is a free, happy Artsakh, a free, happy Armenia," Pashinyan concluded.