15:18,

YEREVAN, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS. In an interview to the Russian RBK Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded to the comments made by editor-in-chief of Russia Today Margarita Simonyan.

In her recent comments Margarita Simonyan criticized the current leadership of Armenia.

In response to Simonyan’s point that Armenia has not recognized Crimea, the PM said: “Armenia has not recognized the independence of Nagorno Karabakh too, but does it mean that we are not defending Nagorno Karabakh? No. We state that Armenia is the guarantor of the security of Nagorno Karabakh. I have said this in my speech delivered in Stepanakert. I have stated that Nagorno Karabakh is Armenia and that’s it. Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh are one united security environment. There is conflict, and Armenia has its approaches in its solution format, and Azerbaijan has its own approaches”.

Commenting on another point that Armenia’s authorities have jailed Russia’s faithful ally Robert Kocharyan, Pashinyan said that the Armenian people, not the individuals, are Russia’s ally.  

“In Russia people should understand that Russia’s allies in Armenia are not Pashinyan, Petrosyan, Poghosyan, Sargsyan and Kocharyan. Russia’s ally and partner are the Armenian people. This is a very important issue. For quite a long time many presented themselves as Russia’s only ally, but Russia’s allies are Armenia and its people”, the PM said.

In response to Simonyan’s another point that there are many anti-Russian NGOs in Armenia, the Armenian PM said: “All that NGOs were created at a time when no one in Armenia had doubted in the pro-Russian moods of the Armenian leadership. All these organizations have bene created during the tenure of Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan. If these organizations were anti-Russian, why they didn’t close these organizations”, he said.