By Susan Badalian and Artak Khulian
STEPANAKERT (azatutyun.am) — Nagorno-Karabakh’s leadership on Thursday, April 14, criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and warned him against helping Azerbaijan regain control over the Armenian-populated territory.
“Any attempt to incorporate Artsakh into Azerbaijan would lead to bloodshed and the destruction of Artsakh,” said Davit Babayan, the Karabakh foreign minister. “And after the destruction of Artsakh there would be no Republic of Armenia.”
Pashinyan said on Thursday that the international community is pressing Armenia to “lower a bit the bar on the question of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status” and recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He signaled Yerevan’s intention to make such concessions to Baku, fueling more opposition allegations that he has agreed to Azerbaijani control over Karabakh.
Babayan said Pashinyan’s remarks caused a “wave of discontent” in Karabakh. He said he believes that they are also unacceptable to most residents of Armenia as well as the worldwide Armenian Diaspora.
“We have no bars anymore, we have only red lines drawn by blood,” added the Karabakh official. “Our red line is that we will not be part of Azerbaijan. This is out of the question.”
