YEREVAN. – The processes taking place around Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) are very worrying. Armen Ashotyan, Deputy Chairman of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), stated this at a press conference on Tuesday.

"Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's statements have a clear political purpose; they are part of a general policy. Add to that the statements of the Turkish side, and we will realize that it is not that Azerbaijan wants Karabakh, but Azerbaijan and Turkey want Armenia and Karabakh. The ‘appetite’ of Pan-Turkic circles is much greater now than just Artsakh," Ashotyan said, in particular.

Referring to Aliyev’s statement that Armenia has failed the Karabakh peace talks and that the latter have failed due to the fault of the Armenian side, Ashotyan said: "Tanks and cannons are clearly visible behind Aliyev's statements. If there is a war, Armenia should not be labeled ‘guilty’ in that war."

The RPA official added that the authorities that have failed the negotiation process were also failing the propaganda war.

He also referred to the statement of Artsakh President Arayik Haroutyunyan that he would like his “superior” to be the Prime Minister of Armenia, meaning that he is in favor of the unification of Artsakh and Armenia. Ashotyan noted that this subordinates the right to self-determination. "It cannot be done at the level of a high-ranking official because it undermines the logic of the negotiation process, which was anchored on Artsakh's right to self-determination," Armen Ashotyan said.