Pashinyan: Azeri President has asked me a favor, not the other way around

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that in 2018, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was not interested in the Karabakh issue or any other matter, and was only worried that the revolutionary wave could reach Azerbaijan. According to the head of the Armenian government, Aliyev has personally asked him to not mention the situation in Azerbaijan in his post-revolutionary speeches.

Pashinyan came to power in spring 2018 after leading a nationwide campaign against former authorities.

In an interview with Armenia's Public TV, the PM weighed in on reports spreaded by Azerbaijani media, alleging that Aliyev has "given time" to the government of post-revolutionary Armenia at Yerevan's request․

"In fact, it was not me who asked a favor from the President of Azerbaijan, but the other way around," Pashinyan sad.

"Yerevan was preparing to elect a new Mayor at that time, and we were having rallies virtually every day. Even before that, I was talking about the situation in Azerbaijan, trying to engage in dialogue with the people of that country and speaking critically about the situation there. Ilham Aliyev was interested in asking me to refrain from speaking about Azerbaijan. Why? For the simple reason that since a revolution had just happened in Armenia, opposition forces throughout the region were excited. The authorities of that country (Azerbaijan - Ed.) were worried that my speeches could provoke certain processes in Azerbaijan," Pashinyan explained.

Azerbaijan unleashed a large-scale offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. Armenia and Karabakh have introduced martial law and total mobilization. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military.