Simonyan: Denying Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity undermines Armenia’s sovereignty

Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, has condemned political forces and figures who argue that Armenia should not have recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, stating that such positions ultimately deny Armenia’s own territorial integrity and sovereignty.

In a recent social media post, Simonyan emphasized the interlinked nature of recognizing both Armenia's and Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, asserting that Armenia’s recognition of Azerbaijan’s borders is essential for maintaining its own statehood and international standing, Caliber.Az report, citing Armenian media.

"All those forces, parties, and politicians who have said and will say that Armenia should not have recognized Azerbaijan's territorial integrity are saying that Armenia should not recognize its own territorial integrity," Simonyan wrote.

"That Armenia should forever fight with at least two of its neighbors, which excludes the Republic of Armenia from international law, removes the Republic of Armenia as a subject from all possible negotiations. This opens the doors for third parties to infiltrate our country and paves the way for the cancellation of the independence and statehood of the Republic of Armenia," he added.

Simonyan argued that Armenia’s refusal to recognize even one of its borders would essentially deny its own existence as a state. He added that such actions could be seen as the work of a "fifth column" and external enemies attempting to destabilize the country.

"Armenia shares borders with four countries, and by not recognizing one of these borders, the country is, in essence, not recognizing its own existence," Simonyan stated.

He concluded his post by clarifying that no Armenian government has ever officially rejected Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, stressing that such views are detrimental to Armenia’s future and sovereignty.

By Vugar Khalilov