During government hours, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the house saying that he was not attempting to absolve himself of responsibility for the situation in Syunik province.

This statement came as an answer to a question from Anna Grigoryan, a member of the opposition Hayastan parliamentary faction sponsored by former President Robert Kocharyan. Anna Grigoryan inquired as to who ordered the departure of Armenian forces in December 2020, which resulted in the arrival of Azerbaijani soldiers near Syunik's roadways.

Pashinyan said that if such a decision had not been made, fighting would have started in the area.

"The decision was made to avoid war because I was sure that without this decision, there would have been fighting, and we would have really faced serious problems in Syunik. We were tens of kilometres ahead, but, unfortunately, we got here," he said.

"Are you saying that the person who ordered the withdrawal of troops was Vagharshak Harutyunyan (then Armenian Defence Minister)?" the MP continued.

"No, I ordered the withdrawal of troops, and Vagharshak Harutyunyan carried out that order," Pashinyan admitted.

In December last year, the Armenian army left the heights around Kapan and moved its posts to the "Soviet borders," according to Kapan Mayor Gevorg Parsyan.

This was done in compliance with the Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Russian tripartite agreements.

The event provoked uproar in Armenia, prompting days of rallies asking for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation.

According to Armenian authorities, the Azerbaijani troops travelled to the border villages of Shurnukh and Vorotan in Armenia's Syunik area to speak with Russian border guards before the incident.