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Former opposition MP and security chief Artur Vanetsyan accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of trying to shift the blame for his government's mishandling of the 2020 war with Azerbaijan to others.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Pashinyan blamed the "fifth column" in the army for Armenia’s defeat in the Artsakh war. He said more than 50 former military officers had been accused of espionage and treason.

Meanwhile, the premier warned of a high risk of an escalation on the border with Azerbaijan and in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In an interview to the Hraparak daily on Wednesday, Vanetsyan, the leader of the Homeland Party, said Pashinyan made the claims in an effort to shy away from responsibility for the war outcome.

“Over the past three years, Nikol Pashinyan cited many reasons for the defeat in the war, but he still fails to admit that he himself is primarily responsible for it,” the politician said.

“If a “fifth column” had operated, it should have been exposed as soon as possible in order to prevent further sabotage or destructive activities. Of course, there were separate cases of treason, but three years have passed, does anyone know who are part of this "fifth column", who led it and gave instructions?

“Nikol Pashinyan basically says that a new war may start soon, but he still hasn't revealed those responsible for the previous war and defeat. And the main culprit, I repeat, is Nikol Pashinyan himself. Because even if this "fifth column" had existed, it should have been identified and neutralized during the war. Moreover, it could not have led to defeat. Today you can see for yourself that the "fifth columns" in numerous other countries do not prevent their authorities and people from effectively fighting for their freedom and independence because the other "four columns" are well organized. And did Nikol Pashinyan manage to efficiently organize the others who were not part of the column he talks about? I have no doubt that he failed to do so,” Vanetsyan said.