Pashinyan: "If Azerbaijan Recognizes Our Territorial Integrity, We are Ready to Sign Peace Agreement"
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he is ready to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan that ensures long-term stability and security in the region. Besides, Nikol Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of occupying some territories in Armenia. Baku said that the claims that it had entered the territory of Armenia were baseless.
Speaking at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly on September 24, Nikol Pashinyan said he was ready to sign the peace agreement and complained about Baku's insincerity. According to him, Azerbaijan is trying to present itself as a country striving to achieve peace with Armenia in the region, using the agenda of a peace agreement with Armenia, demarcation of borders, the opening of regional communications, and from the statements of Azerbaijan, one can even imagine that it is committed to peace efforts. Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of using all these topics for territorial claims against Armenia. "For example, one of the most basic provisions of the peace agreement is mutual recognition of territorial integrity between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We have already declared our readiness to do this, but Azerbaijan has not yet done so. On the contrary, Azerbaijan openly declares that all the southern and eastern parts of Armenia, including the capital Yerevan, are the land of Azerbaijan," Pashinyan said.
According to him, Azerbaijan currently occupies some territories of Armenia, and this situation further increases the risks of aggression by Azerbaijan. In this regard, the Prime Minister of Armenia addressed a question to the President of Azerbaijan: "Can you show a map that you recognize as the territory of Armenia or that you are ready to recognize as the Republic of Armenia?" According to him, it should not turn out later that, from Azerbaijan's point of view, the Republic of Armenia is half or less than half of Armenia. "If Azerbaijan recognizes the territory of Armenia, not only theoretically but concretely, its internationally recognized territory of 29,800 square kilometers, this means that we can mutually recognize the territorial integrity of both countries and sign a peace agreement," he said. According to him, otherwise, we will have a peace agreement deprived of content, and after signing, Azerbaijan will use the border demarcation process for new territorial claims and occupation.
After the fighting on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border on September 13-14, which caused the deaths of more than 300 soldiers on both sides, both countries accused each other of attacking the peace process.