YEREVAN. – They say [ex-President] Serzh Sargsyan handed over "Lele Tepe." I said, “Go, capture [it],” and in this context there were 700 casualties? This is complete nonsense. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday stated this at the National Assembly of Armenia while presenting the report on the implementation and results of the government program for 2020, referring to a question by independent MP Taguhi Tovmasyan about the Armenian side’s shortcomings during the recent Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war.

 Referring to the "Lele Tepe" issue, Pashinyan said: "The author of the proposal for that operation was a general [of the army], the proposal was considered acceptable by a general, the assessment of the possibility of implementing that proposal was carried out by a general, and the decision was made by a general; moreover, by generals who had the opportunity to implement that decision at that time. Yes, I was present at a part of the conversation, I moderated the discussion, and I did not express my opinion at all. I asked the highest-ranking [general]: 'What do you think?' He said, 'It's a good idea.' He assessed the situation and reported that it should and can be done. "

Pashinyan stressed that all episodes of the recent war should be investigated, starting with his own actions, but it should be an objective investigation.