Pashinyan confuses Yerevan streets with UN General Assembly rostrum

He was commenting on the speech of the Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan at the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Attempts to present his rise to power through a coup and the establishment of ochlocratic dictatorship as democracy look ridiculous. Everyone is well aware of the consequences of populism, political demagoguery and manipulation of the masses in Europe in the 19301940s,” Hajiyev said.

He noted that the Armenian PM, against the topic of general discussions of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, did not voice any facts or figures related to the development of Armenia, implementation of sustainable development goals at the national level or living in peaceful conditions with neighboring states, because they simply do not exist.

“Armenia, which grossly violated the Article 2(4) of the UN Charter by using force against Azerbaijan and occupying the Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent seven regions of Azerbaijan, put forward groundless accusations against Azerbaijan in connection with the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict,” Hajiyev stressed, adding that Armenia committed bloody ethnic cleansing on its territory and in the occupied lands against more than one million indigenous Azerbaijani population.

He further noted that the Armenian PM, continuing the policy of his predecessors, with his provocative, military-adventurist steps, contradictory and absurd thoughts serves to paralyze the negotiation process.

“The entire international community knows very well that the most important obstacle in the settlement of the conflict is Armenia’s continuation of the military occupation against Azerbaijan and the presence of Armenian troops in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,” Hajiyev pointed out.“Moreover, the Armenian PM calls for the annexation of the occupied territories in conditions of total disrespect to international law and the UN Charter.”

The deputy head of the foreign relations department also mentioned that the Armenian PM deliberately remains silent about the UN Security Council resolutions that form the political and legal basis for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“In order to achieve progress in the settlement of the conflict in accordance with the requirements of the UN Security Council resolutions, Armenia must withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, not impede the return of internally displaced persons to their native lands and comply with international obligations,” Hajiyev stressed. “Only in this case, it will be possible to resolve the conflict and ensure sustainable peace and stability in the region.”

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war began, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Until now, Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.