Pashinyan: Nothing was built in the territories adjacent to  Nagorno-Karabakh, and what was built in Karabakh was done at the  expense of what remained undeveloped

ArmInfo. RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declined to comment further on his recent statement regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, which has sparked a wave of indignation  among the opposition.

During his election campaign in the Syunik region, Pashinyan stated  that Nagorno-Karabakh was never a part of the Republic [ Armenia]. He  argued that the dispute with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh was  essentially meaningless from the start.

"They say we lost lands. But in what way were those lands ours?  Please, explain: were they truly ours? I do not wish to speak behind  the backs of the fallen, but let's put it this way: they were under  the control of a few generals who, for instance, sowed wheat there,  right? In what sense were they 'ours'? How? Explain it:  how were  they? Did we construct a school there? Or a kindergarten? A factory,  perhaps? Did we live there?  Did we establish settlements? In what  way were they ours? They were not ours," the Armenian Prime Minister  noted.

Today, May 11, in a conversation with journalists, the Prime Minister  noted that he has addressed topic many times and that there is no  need for additional commentary.  However, he did add that nothing had  been built in the territories adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh, and any  development within Karabakh  was carried out at the expense of  projects left unbuilt. "Of course, this is a clear and indisputable  fact," the head of the Armenian government stated.

It's worth noting that in August 2019, the Armenian Prime Minister declared from the podium at Renaissance Square in Stepanakert: "Artsakh is Armenia, period." Independent experts believe that this statement by Pashinyan served as a catalyst for Azerbaijan's large-scale aggression against Artsakh and its subsequent occupation and de-Armenization.