Armenian parliament to discuss Karabakh behind closed doors

PanARMENIAN.Net - The National Assembly will discuss the humanitarian situation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) behind closed doors on Tuesday, March 22.

Lawmaker Artsvik Minasyan from the opposition Armenia bloc suggested to include in the closed meeting only those parts that contain state or official secrets. According to him, the matter is of great public interest.

Hayk Konjoryan from the ruling Civil Contract party said, however, that the issue is of wide public interest not only in Armenia but also outside the country.

"Discussions on this matter may contain issues of a security concerning Artsakh and Armenia, which we cannot discuss openly or directly for obvious reasons," Konjoryan said.

According to him, Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will also participate in the debate.

The Karabakh authorities revealed on Monday that Azerbaijan has cut natural gas supplies to Artsakh to create humanitarian problems for its population amid adverse weather.

Beginning from March 8, over 100,000 residents in Karabakh were deprived of gas for over 10 days, and because the pipeline has been damaged in territories currently under Baku's control, the Azerbaijani military would not allow the Armenian side to eliminate the problem. Gas supply resumed on March 19.

The Azerbaijan armed forces were also violating the ceasefire and using loudspeakers to spread panic among the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, attempting to force them to leave their homes.