Pashinyan stirs up Karabakh tension

YEREVAN/Aug. 5 (The Bulletin) — Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan called for Armenia’s unification with the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, hardline language that immediately drew condemnation from neighbour Azerbaijan.

He made the comments during a visit to the Armenian controlled section of the region which is called Artsakh. During his speech, Mr Pashynian said: “Artsakh is Armenia and that’s it.”

He also led the crowd in chants of “miatsum” which means unification, used as a slogan during the 1990s when the region broke away from Azerbaijan.

A shaky UN ceasefire has held since then, although there are sporadic outbreaks of violence.

Azerbaijan, which has accused Mr Pashinyan of blocking peace negotiations since he took power in a revolution in 2018, issued an immediate rebuke, calling his statements a provocation.

ENDS

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