Armenian opposition leader describes January 11 meeting as 'another defeat of Armenia"

YEREVAN, January 13. /ARKA/. Former prime minister Vazgen Manukyan, nominated by an alliance of Armenian opposition parties as their single candidate for the post of interim prime minister, came out with a statement today again calling on the citizens to help make Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan step down.

Manukyan's statement comes after the January 11 meeting of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in Moscow, where following four-hour talks, Pashinyan and presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia - Aliyev and Putin- signed a joint statement that calls for the development of the region and reopening of transport routes.

Vazgen Manukyan says the trilateral meeting in Moscow has generated serious concerns and anxiety in Armenia, since it received nothing from that meeting that avoided also discussing the most sensitive issue in Armenia- the release of Armenian POWs held in Azerbaijan. Manukyan described the meeting as ' another shameful defeat of Armenia.'

According to Manukyan, by signing the November 9 statement (on ending the war in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone), Azerbaijan has received even more than it could have dreamed of.

'Azerbaijan has breached some points of that statement in its favor, particularly, points 1 and 8. Under point 1, the sides were to stop where they were on November 9, and under point 8 they were to exchange all prisoners of war, hostages, other detainees and the bodies of the killed soldiers,' Manukyan said, adding that all this happened with the help and due to the inaction of Nikol Pashinyan.

'On January 11 in Moscow, Aliyev laid down a new basis for the implementation of point 9, which calls for reopening of economic and transport links in the region. Under it, the Republic of Armenia guarantees the security of transport links between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic across Armenia, which is of great strategic importance for Azerbaijan. There is no doubt that the results of further negotiations on the implementation of this point under Pashinyan's premiership will benefit only Azerbaijan,' Manukayn's statement says.

'What Armenia could get from the January 11 meeting that it did not get? Its leader should have raised the point 1 of November 9 statement, which was violated in favor of Azerbaijan and which is a threat to Armenian region of Syunik.

Nothing was said about the settlement of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group and about the status of Artsakh, which is also a great defeat. The trilateral meeting on January 11 and the joint statement reaffirmed our belief that Nikol Pashinyan is unable to advance the interests of Armenia and the Armenian people. Pashinyan, who symbolizes Armenia's defeat must go, otherwise our losses and humiliations will continue," the statement says. -0-