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Armen Ghazaryan

Pashinyan Hits Back at Aliyev for Calling Armenia "Fascist State"

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan today blasted Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev for describing Armenia as a “fascist’ state.

Aliyev, in a January 7 interview with local television channels, said that Armenia has been led by “proponents of a fascist ideology for nearly thirty years”, adding that “Either the Armenian leadership will destroy it, or we will.”

Pashinyan, in an interview with ArmenPress today, accused Aliyev of trying to bait Armenia into responding in a similar vein and thus provide Baku a justification to ramp-up tensions in the region.

Pashinyan said Armenia remains committed to its peace policy and will emply the language of dialogue, not aggression.

Ailyev also reiterated Baku’s demand that the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” through Armenia’s southern Syunik Province must be opened.

“Azerbaijan cannot afford to use bypass routes for communication with Nakhichevan. The Armenian side must take this into account, it is not worth angering us. They must understand that we are the masters here,” he said.

Pashinyan said his “Crossroads of Peace” project, which envisages the opening of all transport communications in the region, including between Azerbaijan and Nakhijevan through the territory of Armenia remains on the agenda.

Pashinyan has repeatedly said that any such roadway must be under Armenian government control.

Aliyev, in his interview yesterday, said Azerbaijan cannot sit idly by as Armenia “arms itself” and called on France and other countries providing arms to Yerevan to cancel all such contracts.

“Weapons that have already been sent to Armenia must be returned. This is our condition,” he said. 

Pashinyan, in response, said Armenia recognizes the territorial integrity of its neighbors and has no intention of militarily retaking the more than 200 square kilometers of its territory occupied by Azerbaijan.

“As for concerns related to armaments, we also have concerns about Azerbaijan’s armament, and we have also heard their concerns. This is the reason why we have proposed to Azerbaijan to form a mechanism for mutual arms control and are waiting for their response,” Pashinyan told ArmenPress.

This is the second "remote" debate between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. This format has begun to replace direct negotiations between them.

Photo: Pashinyan, Aliyev smile for the cameras at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland

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