PM: Armenia adopts peace agenda striving for border demarcation, delimitation with Azerbaijan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has disclosed the steps to ensure regional security during a lecture entitled "Armenia and the Netherlands: centuries-old friendship - 30-year partnership" at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael).

“Pashinyan spoke in detail about the process of normalizing relations with Azerbaijan,” Caliber.Az reports with reference to the Armenian media. 

The prime minister added that it is necessary to successfully open regional communications for our railways and roads with Azerbaijan begin to operate.

“We started a dialogue with Turkey and agreed to start to normalize relations without preconditions. We are unlikely to succeed without the active and sincere support of the international community,” the Armenian prime minister added.

“We would like the international community to hear our voice, we would like the international community to see people living in Karabakh region today, who every day, despite many factors, are fighting for the right to live in their homeland,” Pashinyan said.

“On the other hand, we have a strange fact. These people are deprived of the opportunity to communicate with the international community,” the prime minister said.
“Today, many international organizations, agencies such as the UN, UNESCO, OSCE are deprived of an opportunity to visit the Karabakh region,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister said that Armenia has adopted a peace agenda and is following the path of demarcation and delimitation of borders with Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan gave an explanation about the expected beginning of peace talks.

“Azerbaijan voiced its ideas on the normalization of the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, covering five main points. The issue is the mutual recognition of each other's territorial integrity, demarcation and delimitation of borders without territorial claims against each other,” the prime minister said.

“Having considered these proposals, we saw that, in fact, there is nothing unacceptable for us, however, we stated that these points do not affect the entire agenda of relations. We have expanded this agenda by including the issues of security, the rights of the Armenians of Karabakh region and the final status,” the prime minister said.

“When a meeting mediated by President of the European Council Charles Michel was held on April 6, 2022, we discussed this issue with the Azerbaijani president. I said that there was nothing unacceptable in the points proposed to Armenia. If the Azerbaijani side agrees to combine the two ideas and start negotiations on this basis, then we are ready for this,” Pashinyan said.

“I must stress that Azerbaijan has recently made statements aimed at creating such an impression that only Azerbaijan's proposals will be discussed. This does not correspond to the agreements reached in Brussels. Today I must reaffirm my position that we are ready to negotiate on the basis of these principles, although nothing has changed in the planned process,” the prime minister said.

A meeting of our representatives involved in border demarcation process is planned to be held soon. A meeting of foreign ministers is also expected to be held. We have gone through very difficult trials, however, today I can say that I am sure that we are on the right way,” Pashinyan added.