Armenian PM Still Hopeful about Signing Peace Agreement with Azerbaijan Soon
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Friday he still hopes that his country will sign a peace agreement with the Republic of Azerbaijan in the coming months, despite the strains in their relations.
Addressing the Paris Peace Forum, Pashinyan slammed Azerbaijan’s actions in Nagorno-Karabakh in September and accused Baku of anti-Armenian rhetoric. However, in his words, Armenia hopes to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan soon on the basis of the three principles agreed upon during the Brussels talks, TASS reported.
According to the Armenian prime minister, these are: Azerbaijan recognizing Armenia’s territorial integrity, delimiting borders on the basis of the 1991 Alma Ata declaration on the establishment of the CIS, and opening transport arteries in the region on the basis of the principles of sovereignty, jurisdiction, lawfulness, equality, and reciprocity.
On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening "an act of large-scale aggression." Russia called on the conflicting sides to prevent civilian casualties and return to a diplomatic solution.
On September 20, an agreement was reached to stop hostilities. On September 21, representatives of Baku and the Armenian population of Karabakh met in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh "to discuss reintegration issues."
On September 28, President of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Samvel Shakhramanyan signed a decree dissolving the republic from January 1, 2024. People were asked to consider Baku’s reintegration terms and make up their minds about whether stay or leave the area.
