Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan today said he would sign no document on the status of Karabakh without holding extensive public hearings beforehand.

“This is my ironclad guarantee that the fate of Artsakh cannot be decided behind the people’s back,” Pashinyan said during today’s government cabinet session.

Attempting to brush aside widespread public opinion that Armenia is ready to sign a peace deal with Baku recognizing Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, and thus “hand over” Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control, Pashinyan argued his government wouldn’t have spent tens of billions of drams to ensure the return of Artsakh residents displaced by the 2020 war if it had such a plan.

Regarding his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan said he and Putin reaffirmed their readiness to reopen transportation arteries in the South Caucasus with the cooperation of Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan also argued that, despite views to the contrary, the OSCE Minsk Group still has a vital role to play in resolving the Karabakh conflict and that Putin shares his belief.

“We clearly see that all the co-chairing countries remain committed to their mandate for the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the fact that events in Ukraine have created difficulties for the co-chairs to work together,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh and the smooth operation of the Lachin Corridor are important for important to maintain the security of Armenians there.