Armenia PM candidate: Baku’s policy leaves no room for compromise

PanARMENIAN.Net - The only candidate for the post of prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday, May 1 that it is strange to talk about mutual concessions on the Nagorno Karabakh issue when Azerbaijan is trying to destroy the Armenian statehood.

The National Assembly is set to elect a new prime minister on Tuesday after the former was ousted amid massive protests across Armenia just one week after taking up the post.

An opposition leader and the founder and head of Civil Contract party, Pashinyan leads a street campaign against the ruling authorities, which has seen thousands of Armenians taking to the streets in massive protests.

In response to a question from a lawmaker from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Arman Saghatelyan on the Karabakh settlement process, Pashinyan said negotiations on Karabakh are held only for the sake of negotiations and are of a formal nature.

The candidate for the PM's post said that in order to protect against Azeri aggression, the Armenian people need to concentrate their potential and mobilize all forces.

"It is strange to talk about mutual concessions when Azerbaijan is trying to destroy the Armenian statehood," Pashinyan said.

"Negotiations on mutual concessions can start only when Azerbaijan recognizes the right of the people of Karabakh to self-determination. Refusal of this principle leaves no room for mutual concessions."

Former prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was forced to resign on April 23, and Pashinyan is now seeking the appointment as prime minister by the National Assembly of what he calls “the people’s candidate”, - i.e. himself - the formation of an interim government and snap parliamentary elections.

In the past several days, all the parliamentary factions have either expressed support for Pashinyan’s candidacy - which was announced on Monday - as PM or have at least refused to nominate their own candidates for the prime minister's post.

The ruling Republican Party of Armenia has said they will make a final decision after listening to Pashinyan’s speech.

Pashinyan has promised to rid Armenia of corruption and poverty. He called on his supporters to rally on Tuesday as parliament meets for the vote and then gather at Republic Square in downtown Yerevan to celebrate "celebrate their victory, their irreversible victory."