Pashinyan Hails Mutual Recognition of Territorial Integrity with Azerbaijan as Key Step for Peace

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described the mutual recognition of territorial integrity between Armenia and Azerbaijan as an important step towards establishing stability and peace in the region and finalizing the peace treaty between the two countries.

The Armenian Prime Minister made these remarks during the Cabinet sitting on May 18, where he discussed his meeting with the Azerbaijani President on May 14 in Brussels, mediated by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

"On May 14, we took another step. As mentioned in the statement by the President of the European Council after the meeting, Azerbaijan recognized Armenia's territorial integrity covering 29,800 square kilometers, while Armenia recognized Azerbaijan's territorial integrity spanning 86,600 square kilometers. I find this to be a crucial development for stability and peace in the region, as well as for the finalization of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including border delimitation. However, the next step is to identify and agree upon specific grounds with legal force and significance for delimitation," Pashinyan said.

The Armenian Prime Minister emphasized that President Charles Michel's statement also stressed the importance of the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue concerning the rights and security of Armenians residing in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), in cooperation with the international community. Pashinyan noted that this process plays a significant role in achieving real and comprehensive normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and establishing lasting peace in the region.

"Therefore, this will greatly expedite the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Brussels, there has been a positive understanding regarding the restoration of the Armenia-Azerbaijan railway. However, based on previous experiences, I will refrain from specifying further. I stress again, Armenia is prepared to reopen the connections envisaged under the November 9, 2020 statement clause 9 and the January 11 trilateral statement as soon as possible, adhering to the principles of sovereignty, jurisdiction, reciprocity, and equality of the parties," Pashinyan said.