"It was incorrectly reported": Pashinyan admitted the erroneousness of his statements about the Iskander complexes

The words of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the use of Iskander complexes by the country's armed forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were associated with incorrect information provided to him.

Press secretary of the politician Mane Gevorgyan told "Armenpress" agency about this.

According to her, during an earlier telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan, the said statement was discussed, among other issues.

“As a result of comparing the available facts and information, the Prime Minister of Armenia came to the conclusion that he was not informed correctly about this situation,” Gevorgyan explained.

“Moreover, the statement of the Prime Minister has nothing to do with the content and quality of the Armenian-Russian allied relations in the field of military and military-industrial cooperation,” stressed the press secretary of the Prime Minister.

She added that Yerevan continues to closely cooperate with Moscow in the field of high technologies and in the military industry, and also intends to take steps to further deepen cooperation.

“There is no doubt that Russian weapons are one of the best in the world,” Gevorgyan said.

Commenting on this message of the Armenian side, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with RIA Novosti: "It is very important that the truth in this matter has been restored."

Recall, on February 23, in an interview with the 1in.am portal, Nikol Pashinyan made a resonant statement that provoked a new round of the political crisis in Armenia.

Answering the absentee question of the country's ex-President Serzh Sargsyan about why, during the recent aggravation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Armenian army did not use Iskanders at the early stage of the clashes, the Prime Minister said about Russian “unexploded” or “exploded by 10%” missiles operational-tactical complexes.

In response to a request from journalists to comment on this statement, the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Tiran Khachatryan said that this could not happen: “This is not serious, impossible”.

On the evening of February 24, President Armen Sarkissian dismissed the Lieutenant General on the proposal of Nikol Pashinyan.

The next day, the General Staff issued a message calling for the Cabinet of Ministers to resign: "The Prime Minister and the Government of Armenia are no longer able to make adequate decisions in this crisis and fateful situation for the Armenian people."

Later, the General Staff confirmed that the widespread statement demanding the resignation of the government "was not made under pressure from anyone" and reflects the position of high-ranking officers of the Armenian Armed Forces.

Pashinyan called it an attempt at a military coup, announced the decision to dismiss Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan and called on his supporters to gather in the center of Yerevan.

As a result, demonstrations of both supporters and opponents of the incumbent prime minister took place in the city.

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In turn, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reacted with bewilderment to Pashinyan's words about the effectiveness of using Iskander.

They said that, according to the available information, confirmed, among other things, by the objective control system, none of the missile systems of this type were used during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, and all the missile ammunition is in military warehouses.

“Apparently, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Nikol Pashinyan, was misled, as a result of which he used inaccurate information,” the Defense Ministry suggested.

On the evening of February 25, the already mentioned telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan took place, during which the aggravation of the political situation in the republic was discussed.

Then the Russian leader called on all parties to restraint and to resolve contradictions within the framework of the law.

However, the political crisis in Armenia has not yet been resolved.

According to the Constitution of the Republic, the Chief of the General Staff is appointed and removed from office by the President at the suggestion of the Prime Minister.

But Armen Sargsyan on February 27 refused to sign a decree on the dismissal of Onik Gasparyan, returning the draft document with objections and commentary that it "fundamentally contradicts the Constitution."

The prime minister met this decision with incomprehension and re-sent to Sargsyan a proposal to dismiss the chief of the General Staff - the president must also respond to this document within three days.

Meanwhile, on March 1, a meeting of the Security Council of Armenia was held, during which attempts to involve the armed forces in political processes were condemned, as well as an appeal to the president to sign a decree on the removal of Gasparyan from office.

Moreover, both the president and the head of the General Staff received an invitation to a meeting of the Security Council, but both did not come to meet.

As Sputnik Armenia was told in the presidential press service, he did not participate in the meeting for health reasons.

Also on Monday, a meeting between Sargsyan and Pashinyan took place, during which they discussed the internal political situation in the country.

Commenting on the results of the talks, the presidential administration called on to refrain from disseminating unofficial information and reported that Sargsyan in his actions is guided exclusively by the country's Constitution and acts in national interests.

Earlier, the president also expressed his readiness to unite political forces at the negotiating table "to resolve differences and find mutually acceptable solutions."

Pashinyan himself, during a rally of his supporters in Yerevan, asked for forgiveness for the mistakes.

“This is about our government, about me personally.

I want to apologize for all the mistakes he made, ”RIA Novosti quotes Pashinyan.

He also announced his readiness to hold early parliamentary elections.

“If the political forces agree with our proposals ... we are ready to go to early elections ... I want the people to get this opportunity.

I want to be sure that you forgive us, and I challenge the parliamentary opposition, let's go to early parliamentary elections, ”he said.