December 22, 2016 - 17:40 AMT
Armenia paid the price for Russia-Azerbaijan cooperation: MP

Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation cost Armenia dearly during the four-day war in Nagorno Karabakh, MP Khosrov Harutyunyan said Thursday, December 22 at a joint session of Armenian and Russian parliamentary commissions.

Azerbaijan on April 2 launched an overt military offensive against Karabakh, during which hundreds were killed on both sides. The parties reached an agreement on the cessation of hostilities on April 2 in Moscow.

"Not all the resources are used for the benefit of bilateral cooperation between Armenia and Russia," Harutyunyan said.

He cited the recently-created Armenia-Russia joint military force as just one step in the development of cooperation.

"The events in early April showed that we have much to think about. Although the further military escalation was suspended with Russia's influence, we Armenians paid the price for the Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation," Harutyunyan said.

At the same time, he said Armenia welcomes the normalization of ties between Moscow and Ankara, as they may leave a positive impact on the whole region.