Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan defended his position regarding advancing talks and relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, after his statement during a virtual press conference last month raised concerns among certain political circles and civic groups.
During another question and answer session in parliament on Wednesday, Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan and Armenia must first take steps to boost security and stability along their joint borders on the road to setting up a commission that will focus on the border delimitation and demarcation process.
“You are aware that the trilateral statement adopted in Sochi on November 26, 2021, signed by the Presidents of Russia, the President of Azerbaijan and me, states that the parties agreed to take steps to increase security and stability on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and to pursue the goal of setting up a bilateral commission on demarcation and delimitation. Since we are interested in this, naturally, we must remain committed to our agreement, and so we made an offer. Our idea is that the armed forces should withdraw simultaneously,” Pashinyan said.
Yerevan has proposed that border troops from Armenia and Azerbaijan would simultaneously withdraw from their position and will be replaced by international monitors until the delimitation and demarcation process is completed.
This approach has met with oppositions, most vocally by Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan, who earlier this week repeated his concerns that the rights of the residents of border settlements will be in danger if under reneges its military guards on the border.
Pashinyan attempted to clarify this position, by telling lawmakers that his government’s proposal would envision the withdrawal of border troops “at an equal distance from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, after which the border protection must be handed over to a limited number of guards, while an international monitoring must take place for the implementation of the agreements.”
He called the concern that residents will not be protected under the government’s scheme “unfounded speculation,” inciting that “all aspects have been taken into consideration [Yerevan’s] proposal package.”
“There is a line at the border and, we think that there should be a withdrawal along that line, noting that this does not predetermine the further results of the demarcation and delimitation, but they should be the subject of relevant negotiations,” Pashinyan explained.
He continued by say that the Soviet borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan were delimited and that the agreement to establish the Commonwealth of Independence States after the fall of the Soviet Union was ratified by the parliaments of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Those borders were recognized. Therefore, we think that these agreements should be implemented with this logic,” said Pashinyan who said that his government was open to other ideas and proposals.
Pashinyan added that concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan and normalizing relations with Turkey is one of the goals of his government, as it has been one of the goals of every Armenian government.
“The signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, the normalization of relations with Turkey and recording it with corresponding documents, of course, is the goal of our government. It was the goal of all [previous] governments of Armenia. The purpose of the negotiation process on the Karabakh issue was to sign a peace treaty, it is recorded in all documents. Are we ready to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan? Yes,” Pashinyan said, reiterating his earlier claims.