The latest statements of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the Karabakh issue are widely discussed in both Azerbaijani and Armenian society.

The Armenian Prime Minister recalled that in 1993, the UN Security Council recognised Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan, but since then the OSCE Minsk Group has been working on the status of the region. In 2016, the status issue was returned to the UN Security Council, which, according to Pashinyan, was a disaster for Armenia, because it is impossible to consider the status of Karabakh within this authoritative international organisation.

The Armenian Prime Minister also stated that he never agreed with the previous government's statement that "Karabakh will never be part of Azerbaijan and should be completely Armenian."

"I do not agree with this statement, because Karabakh could not be completely Armenian. Given the demographic composition of the population, no. It was clear from the content of the talks that the Armenian and Azerbaijani populations live in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. It is clear that the government in Karabakh cannot be completely Armenian. The issue of the rights of Azerbaijanis living in Karabakh has not been and will not be controversial. I have repeatedly spoken about this in public. At least in this part, the representatives of the circles that took part in the talks earlier confirmed that the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region has never been considered in the negotiation process as a purely Armenian union. The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region has never been considered a purely Armenian union. It was accepted, observed and registered, at least in terms of the population, as an Armenian-Azerbaijani union.”

Pashinyan was chastised by Armenian opposition politicians and de-facto Nagorno-Karabakh authorities for comments he made on the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh during a conference on December 24.

His words drew a barrage of criticism and allegations from important Armenian and separatist Nagorno-Karabakh political figures.

In a Facebook post the same day, Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan said, "Only the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh are permitted to speak on behalf of the citizens of Nagorno-Karabakh."

"Full acknowledgment of the right of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination" is Nagorno-Karabakh's "benchmark," according to Harutyunyan, and "is not susceptible to reservation or compromise."

“Any Armenian who wishes to help Nagorno-Karabakh must consider the wishes and aims of the Karabakh Armenians. Otherwise, they should refrain from interfering.”

The de-facto Nagorno-Karabakh Parliament conducted a special session on December 27 to condemn Pashinyan's words as "worrying and dangerous," as well as contemptuous of Nagorno-Kararabakh's "Armenian roots."

The parliament stated, "the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh has never been, and will never be, the monopoly of any political party."

The de-facto parliament referred to a 1992 Supreme Council of Armenia decision that defines Armenia's attitude toward Nagorno-Karabakh and underscores Armenia's responsibility to "support" and "protect" Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as to "consider any international or domestic document in which the Nagorno Karabakh Republic is mentioned as part of Azerbaijan as unacceptable."

These views of Pashinyan are interpreted by Azerbaijani commentators in different directions.

According to MP Aydin Mirzazade, the recent statements of Prime Minister Pashinyan on Karabakh are a matter of necessity.

"Because without recognising the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, without respecting the sovereign rights of our country, there can be no peace agreement with official Baku. Armenia already has no future. The economy is very weak, there is no access to the sea and companies are not interested in investing in the country. Only if good relations are established with Azerbaijan and Turkey can Armenia solve its economic problems. For this reason, Pashinyan is forced to establish relations with Azerbaijan. In this regard, recent statements show that the truth is in Armenian society. The future will show whether the Armenian leadership is sincere in its speeches.”

Political analyst Elkhan Shahinoglu said that after Prime Minister Pashinyan’s statement on Karabakh, he would face increasing pressure from the radical opposition at home and abroad. The analyst said that Pashinyan hopes to develop relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey to resist pressure and revive the Armenian economy.

"Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan saw and will see various forces in front of him, saying that Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan. These include the radical opposition in Armenia, including the ‘Karabakh clan,’ the separatists in Karabakh and the Armenian lobby in various countries. These forces will fight against Pashinyan. What can save Pashinyan and his supporters? Pashinyan hopes that by opening communication lines with Azerbaijan and Turkey and signing agreements with the two countries to normalise relations, he will bring Armenia out of the current difficult political, economic, and social situation. In other words, Pashinyan’s hopes are for Baku and Ankara. So, the ropes are in our hands.”

Azerbaijani MP Samad Seyidov told that Armenia is now taking into account the reality created by Azerbaijan. Although Armenia raised the issue of Karabakh's status as one of the main conditions for starting peace talks after the Second Karabakh War, Azerbaijan has unequivocally stated that it will not give any status to the Nagorno-Karabakh.