Pashinyan lauds Russia for giving Armenia ‘a helping hand’ during pandemic, Karabakh war

TASS, Russia
May 6 2021
According to the country's acting PM, thanks to Moscow's efforts it became possible to stop the hostilities and achieve substantial de-escalation in the region

YEREVAN, May 6. /TASS/. In Armenia’s time of difficulty, Russia helped solve the problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. This was reported by the press service of the Armenian government, in wake of the Thursday meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia.

On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stopped at the positions that they had maintained, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin Corridor that connects Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. It also envisages an all-for-all exchange of prisoners of war.

After the deployment of peacekeepers, the situation stabilized. Thousands of Nagorno-Karabakh residents who left their homes during the hostilities, returned with the support of the peacekeeping force.

In April, the first batch of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine was delivered to Armenia. Later on, the parties reached an agreement on the purchase of 1 million doses of the vaccine. Yerevan also said it was in talks with Moscow about launching the production of the vaccine domestically with a view to manufacturing up to 100,000 doses per month.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS