Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered a speech at the 4th Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. The Prime Minister, in particular, noted:
“Ladies and gentlemen,
Our example shows that war is the biggest threat to democracy. The Nagorno Karabakh conflict was an excuse for the lack of democracy in Armenia for a long time.
In 2018, our Velvet Revolution brought great democratic progress to Armenia, but in September 2020, Azerbaijan’s attack on Nagorno Karabakh began and Armenia was drawn into the war. Many still think today that the cause of the war was Armenia’s democratic aspirations in a region where democracy can be perceived with suspicion.
On November 9, 2020, I signed a tripartite declaration on a ceasefire, which led to an attack on state institutions, the Government, and the National Assembly, because the unleashed war, apparently, also aimed to achieve a change of Government in Armenia.
But we managed to preserve the country’s democracy. Later we decided to go for early elections to regain public unity. And two days after my and the National Assembly’s resignation came into force in order to hold extraordinary elections, 2021. On May 12, Azerbaijan invaded the territory of Armenia. If we deviated from democracy in that episode, we would have lost statehood, but we followed the democratic path. We had internationally recognized free and democratic elections, and we developed a peace agenda.
But that peace agenda was also attacked. 2021 in November and 2022 in November, Azerbaijan again invaded the territory of Armenia.
On October 6, 2022, with the support of French President Macron and European Council President Michel, we reached an agreement with the President of Azerbaijan that we regulate the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of the Alma Ata Declaration of 1991, according to which the administrative borders of Soviet Armenia and Soviet Azerbaijan become state borders.
Three days ago, with the mediation of the President of the European Council, we went one step further, emphasizing that Armenia recognizes the territory of 86.6 thousand square kilometers of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan recognizes the territory of 29.8 thousand square kilometers of Armenia.
But as a result of the illegal closure of the Lachin Corridor, the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh have been under siege for 5 months and are living in a humanitarian crisis. Sending an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and Lachin Corridor is a necessity. And for ensuring the security and rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, the start of Baku-Stepanakert negotiations under international auspices is vital. By supporting the addressing of these issues, the CE will support the establishment of democracy and stability in the South Caucasus.“
