12:22, 23 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reacted on March 23 to the fake narrative generated by Azerbaijan claiming that there are no minorities in Armenia and that Armenia is a monoethnic country.

“First of all, such wordings are a gross interference into Armenia’s domestic affairs, moreover, national minorities not only do exist in Armenia, but they are also represented, they have mandates in the Parliament of Armenia, and this is guaranteed under the Constitution. At this moment there are four Members of Parliament representing the national minorities. And if such narratives don’t constitute interference into a country’s domestic affairs, then let’s say for the record that the persecutions against not only the press, the opposition, but also the national minorities are of systematic nature in Azerbaijan. The international press is full of articles about the murders and imprisonments of the leading activists protecting the interests of national minorities in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, many of these cases are revealed by eyewitnesses, the activists who survived torture and persecutions, or the families of the killed activists. Perhaps Azerbaijan ought to display goodwill and define seat quotas in its parliament for national minorities and guarantee it under its constitution. Perhaps this would be the first step in correcting the situation,” PM Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

In conclusion, Pashinyan added that a peace treaty will be achieved on the basis of the written documents that have been reached on the highest levels so far.

He said that Armenia will not deviate even for a moment from the path of developing Armenia and strengthening its democracy.