Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that the inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) into the Russian Federation has never been discussed.
Pashinyan told a press conference on Tuesday, July 25 that a possible mass resettlement of 120,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenia in the event of their forced eviction has not been considered either.
“Armenia does not discuss the issue of resettlement of 120,000 Artsakh residents. Armenia is discussing the issue of creating an opportunity for them to live in their own country,” Pashinyan said.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been under Azerbaijan's blockade since December 12, 2022. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population.
