Decision on Armenian officials visiting Nagorno-Karabakh to be made after discussion with administration of self-proclaimed republic - Pashinyan

YEREVAN. Oct 27 (Interfax) - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dodged answering a question about a possible visit to Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Visits by officials will take place based on expediency," Pashinyan said, responding to a question from Armenian opposition parliamentarian Agnessa Khamoyan during a meeting in the parliament.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on January 7 after a visit by Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian to Nagorno-Karabakh that tough retaliatory measures would be taken against Armenia if its officials continued to visit Nagorno-Karabakh.

Recalling Aliyev's statement, Khamoyan asked Pashinyan when he intends to visit Nagorno-Karabakh.

"After that statement [the Azerbaijani president made], dozens of Armenian officials have visited Artsakh [Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh]. We will discuss it with the administration of Artsakh and will make a decision based on expediency," Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan and other high-ranking officials have not visited Nagorno-Karabakh since the Karabakh war in the fall of 2020.