Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the nation today, explaining why he was forced to sign, in his words, the "infamous document."
According to him, the enemy had reached Shushi and Stepanakert. "These cities were in the rear during the war, they did not have defensive structures, and what would have happened after the fall of these cities? Several defensive sectors of the Defense Army would have been surrounded by the enemy, which means that more than 20,000 of our soldiers would have been under threat," Pashinyan said, adding that in these conditions, the fall of Kashatagh and Karvachar districts would have been inevitable.
The Prime Minister explained that the moment they realized that the Armenian soldier could not influence events, soldiers would no longer have to die for the motherland, instead the motherland would make a sacrifice for the soldiers.
"According to this logic, I signed the infamous document known to all of you, and when I signed it, I realized that the probability that I would personally die is great not only in the political but also in the physical sense, but the life of 25 thousand soldiers was more important, I think, for you too."
These soldiers, according to the head of government, had no chance to influence the situation that would unfold in the rear.
"It was time for the commander to endanger his own life for the lives of these soldiers, time for the Motherland to make sacrifices for the soldiers that spared nothing for sake of the Motherland," Pashinyan said, explaining that in this situation it was necessary to make a decision within a few hours, otherwise the process would have started, which could have ended with the death of 25 thousand soldiers or their capture.
He also touched upon the issue of resignation. "And why didn't I resign, so as not to sign this paper, because it would mean desertion, it would mean leaving the issue of fulfilling the hellish duty in the name of the soldiers on someone else's shoulders."
According to Nikol Pashinyan, the Karabakh issue is still not resolved. The next question that arises, according to him, is why in such conditions it was impossible to reach a ceasefire at the beginning of the war or a little later. "To do this, it was necessary to hand over seven districts without a fight, as well as Shushi, and we hoped that with the involvement of new resources, superhuman efforts, we would be able to make a breakthrough," Pashinyan said. According to him, this is the reason that he and the President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan periodically made calls for military conscription.
Pashinyan also touched upon the content of the document itself, saying that it is really bad for us, but we should not make it worse than it really is.
"In particular, there are rumors spreading about the surrender of Meghri, which is absolutely ridiculous, we are just talking about unblocking transport routes in the region, including from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan, but this means that transport routes from Yerevan to Syunik via Nakhichevan, including the railway connection between Armenia and Iran, should also be unblocked," the Prime Minister said, adding that this may have a significant impact on our economy.
As for the territories under the control of Artsakh, according to Pashinyan, thanks to the Russian peacekeepers, the Lachin corridor from Goris to Stepanakert will operate smoothly, and Russian peacekeepers will provide the same safe road across the entire territory in the Shushi section.
He also called on residents of the territories located within the perimeter of the deployment of peacekeepers to return to their homes, if viable
He also said that the international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh is becoming an absolute priority. "There are stronger arguments for this now."
According to Pashinyan, at the moment, restoring the atmosphere of stability and security in the country is a priority for Armenia.
"The organizers and many of the active participants in the civil strife have been detained, but they will be identified and brought to justice.
"For decades, the country's property and income have flowed into the pockets of people you know well, and not towards the development of the army," the Prime Minister said.
According to him, our country has a future, and we must do everything to make this difficult test of ours an important cornerstone of this future.
"We must learn a lesson. Many will ask whether it is possible to talk about a good future after this brutal war. Yes, because there are countries in the world that were subjected to the most brutal capitulations of the 20th century, but today they are among the most powerful countries in the world."