A regular session of the RA government was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Before discussing the issues on the agenda, the head of the government presented the results of the meeting with the president of Azerbaijan held in Brussels on May 14 at the mediation of the president of the Council of the European Union.
In his speech, Nikol Pashinyan, in particular, noted:
“Dear participants of the government session,
Dear people,
On May 14, my meeting with the leader of Azerbaijan took place in Brussels through the mediation of Charles Michel, the President of the Council of the European Union. As you remember, during the meeting held in Prague on October 6, 2022, at the mediation of the President of France and the President of the European Council, the President of Azerbaijan and I reaffirmed our countries’ commitment to the UN Charter and the Alma Ata Declaration of 1991, stressing that we recognize based on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each other, we also confirmed that this would be the basis for the work of the border delimitation commissions.
On May 14, we took another step and, as indicated in the statement of the President of the European Council following the May 14 meeting, we noted that Azerbaijan recognizes 29,800 square kilometers of Armenia’s territory, and Armenia recognizes 86,600 square kilometers of Azerbaijan’s territory. Completeness.
This is an essential step for establishing stability and peace in the region by finalizing the text of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the delimitation of the borders. But, of course, the next step must be to identify and agree on specific grounds for demarcation that have legal force and significance.
I want to draw special attention to the fact that in the statement of the President of the European Council following the tripartite meeting on May 14, the importance of the dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert on the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh was emphasized in cooperation with the international community. This process is essential for an accurate and comprehensive settlement of relations with Azerbaijan and for establishing lasting peace in the region. Therefore, it will significantly accelerate the peace treaty signing between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
A particular positive understanding has been formed in Brussels regarding restoring the Armenia-Azerbaijan railway. I’m still considering my previous experience but will have a few specifics. I want to emphasize once again that the Republic of Armenia is ready to implement the opening of the communications provided for in paragraph 9 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, and again in the triple message of January 11, based on the principles of sovereignty, jurisdiction, equality and reciprocity of the parties.
You have learned from the President of the European Council that there was also a specific understanding regarding the further release of prisoners and other detained persons and clarification of the fates of the missing. Still, considering the compassionate nature of the issue, the discussions on this topic will continue during the upcoming meetings.
I just wanted to remind you that a meeting at the level of foreign ministers is expected on May 19 in Moscow. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has already left for Moscow. We have already received an offer from the Russian side to hold a tripartite meeting at the highest level in Moscow on May 25 through the mediation of the President of the Russian Federation, and we accepted that offer.
A five-way meeting with the participation of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is planned for June 1 in Chisinau within the framework of the second summit of the European Political Community. Such a five-way meeting is also scheduled for October in Granada. The next tripartite meeting in Brussels is scheduled for July.
Dear participants of the government session,
Dear people,
Despite some progress in the negotiations, Azerbaijan continues to pursue an escalation policy on the border with Armenia. In the previous days, shots were fired at our borders, and we had casualties. Bowing my head to our fallen brothers, I want to emphasize again that, especially against the background of the agreements of May 14, the mirror withdrawal of troops from the borderline and the demilitarization of the borderline become more urgent. And we will continue to emphasize this agenda.
The illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor is another manifestation of Azerbaijan’s escalation policy, which once again highlights the legitimate need for an international presence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor. We are discussing this topic with all our international partners.”
