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Pashinyan: Armenia is undergoing a security crisis

Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia

21 April 2023 20:20 (UTC +04:00)

Armenia is undergoing a security crisis, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his speech in the parliament, APA reports.

Criticizing the country's opposition, Pashinyan stressed that the security crisis in Armenia did not emerge in 2020, but far earlier.

The Prime Minister noted that this, in turn, worries the citizens of the country:

"First of all, it is necessary to understand what kind of security crisis we are talking about. The current situation is a crisis of the security architecture created during independence, and it did not arise in 2020 (ed. - refers to the 44-day war in Karabakh), but before that."

Pashinyan recalled the terrorist act that took place in the parliament on October 27, 1999, and said that this event was a manifestation of a deep and serious crisis.

Addressing the opposition, the prime minister stated that the problem did not start during the current administration and that Russia, Armenia's strategic ally, inked a $3 billion armaments contract with Azerbaijan in 2011.

Pashinyan also addressed opposition politicians, asking how many times military training for reserve soldiers was held during their tenure. As a result of the lack of training, the majority of those mobilized in 2020 did not know how to wield weapons.

Noted that following Armenia's defeat in the 44-day Karabakh war, the country's ruling and opposition sectors frequently criticize and blame each other for the defeat.