Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said Yerevan does not rule out taking its dispute with Russia over the management of the South Caucasus Railway to an international court if the issue cannot be resolved through negotiations. At the same time, he stressed that the Armenian authorities hope to settle the matter through talks.
At a meeting of the EuroNest Parliamentary Assembly held in Yerevan, representatives of the ruling Civil Contract party rejected a proposal calling on Azerbaijan to guarantee the collective and safe return of Karabakh residents to their homes, backed by international guarantees.
Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, accused the opposition of using the issue of the return of "Artsakh residents" as a political tool. Simonyan noted that the opposition forces are limiting themselves to mere loud statements without offering any practical solutions.
"Can anyone now say with certainty that they can guarantee the return of an Armenian to any settlement in Karabakh? This is not a matter of spectacular statements or pompous toasts. Of course, in the future, provided relations are normalized, some people may return and live in their homes—if that becomes realistic. But who are they misleading? "Are there any Karabakh residents currently wishing to return, but who are being impeded by the Armenian authorities?" the speaker asked.
Reporters reminded Simonyan of the example of Gaza, to which he responded:
"A very good example. The international community has come together, and what we're seeing now is genocide in Gaza. We could become a second such example. We would find ourselves in the same situation; we would turn our territory into Gaza."