Armenian premier trying to destroy history of Armenian Artsakh by  denying colossal work done

ArmInfo. When RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in his pre- election ecstasy, shouts that Artsakh "was never Armenian" because "we built nothing there-no school, no  kindergarten, no factory," this isn't just political manipulation.  It's a denial of a vast swathe of reality.  Political scientist Vahe  Davtyan shares this view.

According to him, Artsakh has demonstrated one of the highest rates  of economic growth in the South Caucasus based on a number of  socioeconomic indicators. It's no coincidence that back in 2014, the  Russian RBC newspaper dubbed Artsakh the "Transcaucasian tiger."  Artsakh's economic growth has ranged from 9% to 15.6% in various  years, particularly since 2010. Artsakh consistently built and  modernized its energy infrastructure, connected settlements to gas,  and developed hydropower, transport, and utility networks. One of the  most striking manifestations of Artsakh's infrastructural development  was the Stepanakert airport. A legislative framework for energy  policy aimed at strengthening economic and energy independence was  established, leading to the commencement of electricity supply to  Armenia in 2018.

Davtyan continued that the level of institutional development of  Artsakh's economy can be judged by the initial public offering of the  Artsakh Hydroelectric Power Plant in 2009, which was considered an  innovative step even for Armenia at the time. In fact, it was the  first Armenian IPO. Until 2020, a large- scale hydropower development  program was implemented in Artsakh. Dozens of hydroelectric power  plants were built, and the republic gradually approached a model of  energy surplus: electricity production almost doubled domestic  demand. Artsakh's gasification rate reached 67.1%, while urban  gasification reached 93%.

"Is this 'nothing being built'? In Artsakh, production facilities  were established, trade developed, exports grew, processing plants  operated, new social infrastructure facilities were built, and  communications networks were modernized. Thus, such statements are an  attempt to retrospectively destroy Armenian Artsakh by denying the  entire history of colossal work, infrastructure, and development. I  well remember two lectures I gave at Artsakh State University in  2015. The audience represented a vibrant Armenian intellectual and  national space, with its students, researchers, and faculty members  who were building, developing, and giving meaning to the future of  Artsakh," the expert noted.

It's worth noting that during his campaign, Pashinyan stated that  Armenia's dispute with Azerbaijan was pointless from the very  beginning. "They say we lost lands. But how were these lands ours?  Please explain:  were they ours? I don't want to speak behind the  backs of the dead, but let's put it this way: they were under the  control of a few generals who, for example, sowed wheat there, right?  What did it mean that they were ours? How? Explain: how was that? Did  we build a school there? A kindergarten? A factory? Did we live  there? Create a settlement? What did it mean that they were ours?  They weren't ours," the Armenian prime minister said.