ArmInfo. Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan's territory of 86.6 thousand square kilometers. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik.
According to the press service of the Prime Minister, Pashinyan, in his speech, in particular, noted the "great democratic progress" recorded in Armenia after the "Velvet Revolution" in 2018. However, as the prime minister stressed, due to the aggression of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2020, Armenia had to get involved in the war. "Many still think that the cause of the war was Armenia's aspiration for democracy in the region where democracy may be viewed with suspicion," he said.
"On November 9, 2020, I signed a trilateral ceasefire agreement, which became the reason for attacks on state institutions, the Government and the National Assembly, since the unleashed war, apparently, was also aimed at changing power in Armenia," Pashinyan added.
He assured that the country's authorities were able to maintain democracy in the country and not deviate from the peace agenda.
"On October 6, 2022 with support of the French President Macron and President of EU Council Michel, we reached an agreement with the President of Azerbaijan that we normalize our relations on the basis of the 1991 Almaty Declaration, according to which the administrative borders of the former Soviet Armenia and Soviet Azerbaijan would become our state borders.
Three days ago, with the mediation of the President of the EU Council Charles Michel, we made a step further, emphasizing that Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan's territory of 86.6 thousand square kilometers and Azerbaijan recognizes the territory of Armenia of 29,8 thousand square kilometers.
But as a result of the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh have been under siege for five months and are facing a humanitarian crisis. To send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno Karabakh is of high priority today, and to start Baku-Stepanakert negotiations aimed at providing security and human rights for the Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh under the international mechanism is of vital importance. Assisting in addressing these issues, the Council of Europe will promote democracy and stability in the South Caucasus," the RA Prime Minister concluded.
On May 15, at a large rally in Stepanakert, the chairman of the "United Motherland" party, former commander of the Artsakh Armed Forces Samvel Babayan said that "the main problem of the Artsakh people today are the statements made in Brussels that the territory of Azerbaijan is 86.6 thousand sq. km, including Nagorno-Karabakh, and Armenia recognizes that>.