Armenian PM praises ‘high-quality’ Artsakh elections

Before proceeding to the issues on the agenda of Thursday’s cabinet meeting, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan touched upon the presidential and parliamentary elections held in Artsakh on 31 March.

"I want to congratulate the people of Artsakh and all of us on the elections. I think that high-quality elections have taken place, as evidenced by the official results," he said.

The premier recalled that one of the presidential candidates, Arayik Harutyunyan, who leads the Free Homeland party, was just few hundred votes short to win the polls in the first round.

"This fact speaks volumes. The unprecedented large number of forces running for seats in the parliament also speaks volumes, as well as the fact that opposition forces took the second and third places in the parliamentary elections,” Pashinyan said.

“I believe the development of democracy in Artsakh is important for reaching a fair settlement of the [Artsakh] issue and ensuring peace and security in the region,” he stressed.