During today’s question-and-answer session with government officials in the National Assembly of Armenia, deputy of the Prosperous Armenia faction Vardan Vardanyan asked Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan why he doesn’t respond to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev’s insults and threats targeted at Armenia, the Armenian people and Pashinyan.

In response, Pashinyan said the following: “There is a golden rule. Whenever a country has citizens who are hostages, and the party keeping those hostages says something, the first reaction is to behave in a way that the security of those hostages isn’t put at risk. Today we aren’t discussing a personal matter. Today we’re talking about the return of prisoners of war, but it is also important for us to be able to ensure the security of our prisoners of war to the extent that it is possible in the current situation. As far as politics and diplomacy are concerned, necessary answers have been provided at the necessary place and in the necessary way.”