YEREVAN. – Even the most dictatorial power in Armenia cannot resolve the Karabakh issue without taking the people’s view into account.

Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has been nominated for the post of PM of Armenia, on Wednesday stated the abovementioned at parliament, and while responding to the MPs’ questions.

“The people’s view is the decisive factor that shall decide [whether] this or that option for resolving the Karabakh issue is favorable to us, or is not favorable,” he added. “Any clandestine resolution of the Karabakh issue is ruled out. (…). As long as the Karabakh authorities are not engaged in the [peace] process itself, it means we are not close to the settlement of the issue.”

Also, Pashinyan said his words with respect to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict were twisted out of context.

“I have said that I’m authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Republic of Armenia,” the acting PM explained. “I’m not authorized to negotiate on behalf of Nagorno Karabakh and its people for a very simple reason because the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic don’t take part in the formation of power in the Republic of Armenia; they have their own government and their own power.”

Pashinyan once again clarified why he, unlike the previous leaders of Armenia, cannot act in the negotiation process on behalf of Karabakh.

“With their political genealogy, both [second President] Robert Kocharyan and [third President] Serzh Sargsyan are linked to the Karabakh movement and Karabakh,” he said. “They can consider that they have that mandate; but there is no such factor in my case.”

Also, Nikol Pashinyan noted that during talks with international partners, it has to be specified as to what precepts need to be maintained in order to resolve the Karabakh conflict.

“[But] if we don’t want to resolve [it] and want to negotiate for another twenty years, no problem, let’s negotiate.”