YEREVAN. – Unfortunately, 2019 cannot be considered a year of achievements or progress in the Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] issue. Ex-ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) spokesman Eduard Sharmazanov said this at a press conference today.

"[PM Nikol] Pashinyan's short-sighted, unprofessional, in many cases rash and emotional statements have damaged the positions of the Armenian parties [to the Karabakh conflict]," he said.

"There has been no increase in the level of involvement [in the Karabakh peace talks]," Sharmazanov added. "There is the [OSCE] Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ official statement, which I once considered a ‘yellow card’ to the Armenian authorities."

The RPA spokesperson emphasized that in the past 1.5 years, Pashinyan has not yet uttered the most important word that Artsakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan in any status. "That is to say, from Pashinyan's statement, the international community might take in that there will not be a Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, but that does not rule out the existence of Nagorno-Karabakh as an autonomous republic within Azerbaijan," Sharmazanov said. "During our rule, [Azerbaijan President Ilham] Aliyev was stating that the co-chairs were pressuring him to recognize Artsakh's independence, while [Belarusian President Alexander] Lukashenko was stating that [then Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan was refusing to hand over territories. Today Nikol Pashinyan has not stated that Artsakh will not be part of Azerbaijan, the phrase ‘Azeri community [of Karabakh]’ has been put forth, and we see that there is no progress."