On 25 November, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to the Russian news agency TASS where he spoke on the contemporary issues involving Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the political situation in his country. 

According to Pashinyan, the current presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh would not be limited to a five-year term. He stated that the main issue at the moment is to ensure stability in Nagorno-Karabakh and the region and to ensure the security of the citizens of Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan also stated that the political agreement on the unblocking of transport links, and which is contained in the joint statement, can change the whole economic situation in the region. 

He also emphasised that Armenia's stance on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh has not changed and expressed his hopes for the speedy restoration of the full capacity of the OSCE Minsk Group to continue the negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. However, Pashinyan said that currently there are more urgent issues which need to be addressed, like the complete exchange of prisoners and detainees, as well as the issue of the missing persons.   

Pashinyan said that he was convinced that most of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh will return home by the end of the year. When asked if this also refers to the villages that came under the control of the Azerbaijani side, he said yes. “And in connection with this point, it is necessary to create special mechanisms, special security guarantees, it is necessary to ensure and organise this whole process; this process should become a priority for the negotiation process," he added.

When speaking on the current political situation in the country, Pashinyan said that the calls made by the opposition have not received wide publicity in the Armenian society, but he noted that not everyone is happy with the current situation. “To be honest, I am also not very happy, we are all unhappy with the situation that we have. But we need to understand what alternatives we have. We must work not to make the situation worse, but to stabilise the situation and improve it. And, as I said, I mean not only internal, but also external stability and security, as well as economic security and stability, and we must focus on these issues. This does not mean that the government believes that everything is fine, and everything is in order. On the contrary, we believe that first we must not aggravate the situation, not make it worse,” he explained. 

Armenia’s first Ombudsperson Larisa Alaverdyan commented on the issue of the missing servicemen and the public outcry of their parents (Caucasus Watch reported). “I understand the parents very well. Judging from the number of protesters, there are many missing servicemen. Since I know the nature of this work, I can say there won’t be results that can be reported to the public in two to three weeks. What’s more, Azerbaijan is creating obstacles. Addressing the European Court of Human Rights with regard to the confirmed cases of capture is another story. The authorities are placing the burden on the people or institutions who shouldn’t be dealing with these matters, and the executive bodies that have to deal with these matters aren’t receiving clear instructions from the authorities. The authorities don’t understand their tasks and aren’t fulfilling their duties. They’re not even doing what the government should do. It turns out that the authorities are only placing the burden on the shoulders of the Ministry of Defence. However, almost all ministries need to be involved,” Alaverdyan stated.

Meanwhile, Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences issued a statement describing the 9 November statement adopted by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders as “humiliating” for the people of Armenia, envisaging big territorial losses for Nagorno-Karabakh and imposing serious restrictions of sovereignty. The academy also demanded Pashinyan’s resignation. 

Some changes in the government structure were also reported, most notably that the country’s former Minister of Education Arayik Harutyunyan was appointed as Pashinyan’s chief adviser. The country’s Deputy Defence Minister Makar Ghambaryan and Deputy Minister of Justice Rafik Grigoryan also submitted their resignations.