Armenia PM says agreed to Karabakh truce to avoid ‘full collapse’

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he agreed to a Russian-brokered peace deal with Azerbaijan to avoid further losses in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, adding that the continuation of fighting would have resulted in “full collapse.” “The document secured what we could lose, according to military estimates and other assessments,” Pashinyan said on Tuesday. “In a situation when Stepanakert became unprotected, there was a big chance of losing [the main city of] Stepanakert, Martuni, and Askeran if the fighting continued; after that, the defended areas and thousands of soldiers would be surrounded.” “This would result in a full collapse, and the decision [to sign the ceasefire...