15:41, 26.01.2021

The biggest “rope” connecting us with Russia was the issue of Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)]; there is no Artsakh, there is no Russia, and the Caucasus passes completely under Turkey’s rule. Vazgen Manukyan, the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement’s candidate for the post of Prime Minister, stated this Tuesday during a meeting with the residents of Ararat Province of Armenia.

"This issue was being resolved and continues to be resolved. Secret talks are in progress with Azerbaijan and Turkey. [Armenian PM] Nikol [Pashinyan] is lying when he says he stopped the [recent Artsakh] war; Russia compelled him [to do so] because if we had lost Artsakh completely, Russia would have nothing to do here; it could neither deploy peacekeeping troops and was losing the South Caucasus.  It continued in the same way after the war," Manukyan said.

He spoke also about the plans for de-blockage of the roads. "They [the Armenian authorities] say, 'We will [re]open the roads and make use of them.' They are lying! Only Turkey and Azerbaijan will make use of these roads. Yesterday, Azerbaijanis had attacked Armenian trucks in Georgia. If we cannot disengage from the Azerbaijanis in the territory of Georgia, what cargo will we transport or transport people via Azerbaijan? The whole goal is to open the road to [the Azerbaijani exclave of] Nakhchivan.”