Yerevan /Mediamax/. During a meeting at the Syunik regional administration today, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that Azerbaijan is making provocative, contradictory statements, which should receive proper counter-action.

“The 44-day war brought a change in the security situation in Syunik, which is now aggravated by provocative, irregular, contradictory statements of the Azerbaijani leadership. On one hand, Baku states it has no territorial claims towards Armenia, and on the other, it threatens to open the Zangezur corridor by force. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has had to refute the claims of the country’s leader and say that he did not imply encroachment on the territory of Armenia,” said Pashinyan.

Nikol Pashinyan has recalled that the ceasefire statement does not mention Zangezur, Syunik, or a corridor.

“With such provocative statements, Azerbaijan simply tries to sabotage the process, disengage from obligations, thus aggravating the situation in the region, and continue the blockade of Armenia,” he added.

The Prime Minister has noted that Armenia should increase the level of protection and security of the borders, particularly in Syunik. “We should consider this matter in two parts: guarding the borders and ensuring the country’s security. Border security should be ensured by the National Security Service’s border troops, and the nation’s overall security issues are the task for the army.

We have launched a large-scale reform program in the army, which we are implementing jointly with Russia. In the context of implementation of the program, we must take into account all the consequences of the 44-day war. We must have a strong army that will be a worthy ally and the main guarantor of Armenia’s security and territorial integrity,” concluded Pashinyan.