The delimitation commissions should work on the restoration of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which existed in 1991. There should be no occupied territories between the two countries
Yerevan. 13th of January. INTERFAX - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the statements of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev a "blow to the peace process" between the countries and an attempt to make territorial demands.
"The statements made by Azerbaijan in recent days are a serious blow to the peace process. You know, we have publicly agreed several times that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the delimitation and demarcation of borders, should be based on the Alma Ata Declaration of 1991. This means that Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other's territorial integrity in the understanding that the territory of Armenia is exactly the same as the territory of the Armenian SSR. The same applies to Azerbaijan," Pashinyan said at a meeting of the initiative group of the Civil Contract party headed by him.
According to him, this means that the process of delimitation and demarcation of borders "is not at all about creating borders."
"That is, our delimitation commissions should not create borders, but should restore the borders that existed in 1991 at the time of the adoption of the Alma-Ata Declaration," Pashinyan said.
He stated that these agreements were fixed between Armenia and Azerbaijan at a meeting in Prague on October 6, 2022, in October in Sochi and in Brussels on July 15, 2023.
"Why do I consider these statements a blow, because (these) statements at the highest level contradict this logic and this agreement. Although it is the pre-election period in Azerbaijan, these nuances must be explained. And we must continue to work to better understand the practical and political meaning of these statements," Pashinyan said.
The Armenian Prime Minister also noted that "the first impression from these statements is that, contrary to the agreements, Azerbaijan is trying to generate territorial claims against Armenia, which is unacceptable."
Pashinyan also stated that the problem of enclaves and exclaves between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be resolved on the basis of the Alma Ata Declaration of 1991 and maps reflecting the provisions of this document.
"Azerbaijan raises the issue of four villages (on the territory of Armenia, which, according to Baku, are Azerbaijani - IF), Armenia raises the issue of 32 villages whose territories (...) They are occupied by Azerbaijan. Since we are committed to mutual recognition of territorial integrity on the basis of the Alma Ata Declaration, we say that there should be no occupied territories between Armenia and Azerbaijan," he said.
According to him, "there is one way - to proceed from the Alma-Ata Declaration and put on the table maps that de jure reflect the provisions of this declaration."
"Therefore, if it turns out that Armenia holds under control some territories that de jure belong to Azerbaijan, it must withdraw from there. The same applies to Azerbaijan. But this is a political arrangement. In practice, this cannot be done without a mutually agreed map," Pashinyan said.
According to him, otherwise the current situation "will constantly lead to escalations, which cannot become the basis of peace."
