The guarantor of the security of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is the Russian Federation, and it must fulfill that role. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during his press conference today.
Asked whether Armenia will ensure Artsakh's security in the event of a possible escalation of tension there, and whether Armenia remains the guarantor of Artsakh's security, Pashinyan answered: "Why did I sign the tripartite statement of November 9[, 2020]? For a simple reason: realizing that in that situation Armenia cannot be a full guarantor of the security of Nagorno-Karabakh; therefore it was necessary to create a system that would guarantee the security of Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to the tripartite statement and the subsequent decision of the Russian Federal Council, which allows the [Russian] president to send troops to Nagorno-Karabakh, all this has been recorded that Russia is the guarantor of the security of Nagorno-Karabakh. Not because Armenia refuses it, but because, unfortunately, Armenia cannot fulfill this function fully due to the defeat in the 44-day war [in 2020]. Therefore, putting all these arguments together, it should be noted that the guarantor of the security of Nagorno-Karabakh is the Russian Federation.
On the other hand, there is a defense army in Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan tries to present as the army of Armenia. Armenia does not have an army in Nagorno-Karabakh."
The Armenian premier noted that Azerbaijan is also trying to justify that the Artsakh Defense Army should be dissolved and should not exist.
"If there is no obvious danger of genocide and ethnic cleansing for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, Nagorno-Karabakh will not need to maintain an army—at least on that scale. Billions [of US dollars] are spent to maintain this army in Nagorno-Karabakh in this difficult situation. The existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army is the biggest evidence of [Azerbaijan’s] preparations for [Armenian] genocide and ethnic cleansing [in Artsakh]," the Armenian premier said.
