Azerbaijan Reminds of Islam-Discrediting ‘Al-Qaeda’ and ‘Islamic State’, Says Pashinyan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during a government meeting that he considers the demands of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian population to be justifiable. He called for the cessation of violations of the contact line by Azerbaijani forces and for their withdrawal from the area under the responsibility of peacekeepers, as well as a rejection of the genocidal policies against the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinyan noted that the explosion of the only gas pipeline supplying natural gas to Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan in March 2022, amidst unprecedented cold temperatures, was an expression of genocidal policies against the local population.

“At the same time, during this period, Azerbaijani armed units illuminated specific homes and neighborhoods in several Armenian villages in Nagorno-Karabakh with powerful searchlights during the night, threatening residents to leave their homes, accompanied by calls to Islamic prayer from powerful loudspeakers, mixed with gunfire. And now the perpetrators of these acts want to accuse Armenia of anti-Islamic practices, while our respect for the Islamic religion and civilization is unquestionable. The Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people have fraternal sentiments and partner relations with dozens of Islamic countries and peoples, while Azerbaijan, through its above-mentioned practices, reminds us of the Islam-discrediting ‘Al-Qaeda’ and ‘Islamic State’,” said Pashinyan.