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Pashinyan’s talk about war with Azerbaijan stems from West’s influence — Russian diplomat

Maria Zakharova blamed the volatile situation on the current authorities in Yerevan and their consultations with Western powers

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

© Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS

MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. Western policies have resulted in Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hinting at an imminent war with Azerbaijan, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"This is how far the [Armenian premier’s] new handlers from the European Union, NATO and Washington have pushed things. I’d like to note that this statement [by Pashinyan] has absolutely nothing to do with Russia," the diplomat wrote on her Telegram channel, as she blamed the volatile situation on the current authorities in Yerevan and their consultations with Western powers.

Earlier, Pashinyan told residents of borderline villages in Tavush Province that, unless Yerevan reaches a compromise with Baku on the issue of Soviet-era enclaves along the border, a war may erupt later this week. A video of his meeting with the villagers was released by the Armenian government.

At a news conference last week, the Armenian premier actually hinted that Azerbaijan had demanded a prompt handover of four Tavush Province villages that had come under Armenian jurisdiction as a result of hostilities in the 1990s.

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Foreign policy Armenia Maria Zakharova

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