Tuesday, October 17 2023 17:01

ArmInfo. In spite of everything,, we should move unwaveringly in the direction of peace, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on October 17 at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, pointing to the principles, that, if fulfilled, a document on peace with Azerbaijan could be signed by the end of the year.

According to Pashinyan, there was a possibility of a breakthrough in  the negotiations for the settlement of relations in Granada at the  beginning of October, but the President of Azerbaijan refused to  participate in the meeting. The Prime Minister pointed out that the  joint statement adopted in Granada is based on the principles of the  statements adopted in Prague and approved in Brussels, according to  which Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the  European Council Charles Michel, President of France Emmanuel Macron  and Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz remain committed to all efforts  to settlement of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, based on  the principles of mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial  integrity within 29,800 and 86,600 sq km, inviolability of borders,  threat of use of force and non- use of force.

Pashinyan emphasized that he had repeatedly confirmed his commitment  to the agreements reached on recognizing the territorial integrity of  the Republic of Azerbaijan, but Baku refrained from specifics on this  issue. "Recently, the Azerbaijani president said he recognizes the  territorial integrity of Armenia, but did not mention the figure of  29,800, which has caused concern among some analysts due to the  ambiguity of this statement and the intention to make a territorial  claim to Armenia," he noted.

The next principle that was stated in Granada is that they emphasized  the urgent need to work on the delimitation of the border based on  the latest maps of the USSR General Staff, which were provided to the  parties, which should also become the basis for the distancing of  forces, the completion of the peace treaty and the resolution of all  humanitarian issues, the RA Prime Minister recalled.

"Azerbaijan states that there is no border between Armenia and  Azerbaijan, which contradicts the Alma- Ata Declaration. Azerbaijan  also remains ambiguous on the issue of delimitation according to the  maps of the USSR General Staff. This raises suspicions that  Azerbaijan is preparing the ground for making territorial claims  against Armenia and launching a new military aggression," he said.

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the European  Council Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German  Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a joint statement following the meeting in  Granada also called for the unblocking of communications on the basis  of full respect for the sovereignty and legal authority of countries,  as well as on the principles of equality and reciprocity. About this  principle, as Pashinyan emphasized, it is necessary to know the  following additional information.  "Azerbaijan continues to state  that Armenia is obliged to provide a corridor through its own  territory. In international practice, the term corridor simply means  interstate roads. But our region has something special. In the  tripartite statement dated November 9, 2020, the term corridor is  used only in relation to the Lachin corridor. The peculiarity is that  according to this document, the Lachin corridor is not only a road,  but a territory with a width of 5 km, which was supposed to be  outside the control of Azerbaijan, under the control of the RPC.  Therefore, in this context, the term corridor has an extraterritorial  meaning. Armenia has never agreed anywhere to any limitation of its  sovereignty over any territory of Armenia; there was no such  promise," he pointed out.

According to the RA Prime Minister, Armenia and Azerbaijan should  open their roads to each other on the basis of sovereignty and  without corridor logic. Border and other control services must  operate at the checkpoint. "We are ready to make such a decision. We  are ready to restore the Meghri railway, which will connect not only  Armenia with Azerbaijan, but also the southern regions of Armenia  with the northwestern, southwestern regions of Azerbaijan with  Nakhijevan, then Armenia with Turkey, Azerbaijan with Turkey,  Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, East with West, from the Caspian  Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. In Armenia, this project is called the  "Armenian Crossroads", but I think that the time has come to rebrand  this project, calling it "Peace Crossroads". By the same logic, we  are ready to open road routes," said the head of the Armenian Cabinet  of Ministers.

Armenia, Pashinyan added, is ready to provide international transit  transportation, pipelines, and power lines on its territory. The  implementation of the "Peace Crossroads" will contribute to the  economic development of Armenia, which has been under blockade by  Turkey and Azerbaijan for 30 years. At the same time, Armenia is  ready to simplify procedures. "We are ready to ensure the safety of  cargo and passengers from Azerbaijan when traveling through our  territory, hoping for reciprocity," Pashinyan said.  Yerevan is also  ready to withdraw troops from the 1991 border on a reciprocal basis  and discuss the issue of so-called "enclaves" on a reciprocal basis.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's refusal to participate in the  meeting in Granada did not make the process easier, he noted. On the  other hand, the prime minister noted, there is an agreement to hold  negotiations with Aliyev through the mediation of President of the  European Council, Charles Michel.  "If the abovementioned principles  are officially confirmed, then the signing of an agreement on peace  and settlement of relations by the end of the year will become  absolutely realistic," Pashinyan said.

According to him, Yerevan, is ready to cooperate with Baku also on  the issue of clarifying the fate of the missing people and also  agrees to the return of captives, detainees and arrested persons on  the principle of "all for all". According to the latest data, he  pointed out, 1016 citizens of Armenia are considered missing.  The RA  authorities are also ready to cooperate on the issue of mine  clearance. He recalled that in 2021, Yerevan received from  Nagorno-Karabakh and transferred to Azerbaijan all maps of mines from  the Armenian side, without preconditions, as a "gesture of goodwill".  But Azerbaijan did not perceive this as a step on the path to peace,  but as a reason to intensify aggressive rhetoric against Armenia, he  noted.  "However, despite everything, we must move unwaveringly  towards peace. This requires political will, and the government, the  parliamentary majority and I have it," Pashinyan noted, emphasizing  that the international community, the EU, and the countries of the  region should help achieve this goal.