I have never come across that issue in Armenia’s relations with Russia. I have never heard about that from our Russian colleagues in our relations and negotiations.

This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan declared during a meeting with Russian journalists, responding to a question from Editor-in-Chief of Novorosia news agency Stanislav Smagin, who asked about the various interpretations of Garegin Nzhdeh in Armenia and Russia and whether there is a point in setting up a committee for the dialogue of historians, representatives of non-governmental organizations and political figures to consider the issue and come to terms.

“This issue is on the agenda of Armenia’s relations with Azerbaijan. I came across this issue for the first time during the Summit of CIS countries in Ashgabat. However, what surprised me was that this issue also exists in Armenia’s relations with Russia. The name Garegin Nzhdeh has never been touched upon during contacts with my Russian colleagues,” Pashinyan emphasized. Talking about the creation of the committee, he mentioned that it would be strange to set up a committee with Russia to explore Armenian history and the history of Garegin Nzhdeh. “He became popular during the Battle of Sardarapat, which led to the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia in 1918. As a matter of fact, Hovhannes Baghramyan also participated in the Battle. Together they fought against the Turks for their homeland. As is known, Baghramyan went on to become a marshal and two-time hero of the former USSR. For us Armenians, Garegin Nzhdeh and Hovhannes Baghramyan have the same roots and are historic figures.

There are a lot of talks about Nzhdeh having had certain contacts with representatives of the Third Reich. Molotov also had contacts with them. In this case, let’s set up a committee and explore all that. We Armenians don’t ask ourselves who Nzhdeh was. He is the person who fought for the homeland along with Marshal Baghramyan,” the Prime Minister added.