Addressing the Armenian parliament on April 13, Pashinian said that the international community is pressing Armenia to “lower a bit the bar on the question of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status” and recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He signaled Yerevan’s intention to make such concessions to Baku.
The speech welcomed by the United States and the European Union stoked Armenian opposition allegations that Pashinian has agreed to Azerbaijani control over Karabakh.
Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leadership openly deplored it. In a resolution unanimously approved by its members, the Karabakh parliament demanded that the Armenian authorities “abandon their current disastrous position.”
Arayik Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, again commented on the issue at a meeting with other officials in Stepanakert. Harutiunian was quoted by his press office as telling them that “no document on the status of Artsakh (Karabakh) is being discussed at this stage.”
He announced a “clear agreement with the prime minister of Armenia to the effect that in case of any discussion on the future status of Artsakh at the international level the position of the Armenian side must be agreed with the opinion of the Republic of Artsakh’s authorities and people.”
Pashinian insisted on Friday that his administration has no plans to “surrender” Karabakh through a peace deal with Azerbaijan. But he again did not specify Karabakh’s status acceptable to Yerevan in the current circumstances. He attacked his political opponents instead, saying that a tougher line advocated by them would lead to another war with Azerbaijan and a complete loss of Karabakh.
