Armenian parliament convened a special session on April 9 at the opposition's request to address the issue of border delimitation and demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Artsvik Minasyan, the secretary of the opposition “Armenia” Faction, expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of readiness from the NA chair to utilize all available means to hold Azerbaijan accountable for “occupying territories under the sovereign jurisdiction of Armenia.”

“We state that the territories under the sovereign jurisdiction of Armenia cannot be the object of trade in any way without a referendum of the people. It’s also about the territories whose title rights belong to Armenia; Artsvashen [village], and also many other [Armenian] settlements that are occupied by Azerbaijan. Any change regarding these territories is subject to approval solely by referendum, without it, what is implemented by any authorities of Armenia is considered a crime,” Artsvik Minasyan outlined.

During the statements’ hour, Speaker of the NA, Alen Simonyan, emphasized that no part of Armenia’s border is up for discussion. He stated that while negotiations and working groups are ongoing, there is no guarantee of reaching an agreement. Simonyan reiterated that territories within Armenia, including Tavush Province, are not open for discussion or negotiation.

In his turn, Armenian Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan stated during a session that no final decision had been made regarding the issues of border delimitation and demarcation with Azerbaijan. He emphasized the importance of key principles such as security, socioeconomic factors, and legal considerations in reaching a final decision. Grigoryan explained that negotiations cannot commence until a consensus on these fundamental issues is reached. In response to a question about which territories Azerbaijan is willing to return to Armenia, Grigoryan stated that he cannot provide a definitive answer as consensus has not been reached yet. He emphasized that initiating border delimitation discussions, particularly concerning areas like the Tavush Province of Armenia, depends on reaching a consensus on other critical issues. Grigoryan highlighted that there are areas of agreement, but there are also unresolved issues where consensus has not yet been reached.

Armenian Church Leaders Criticize Government’s Foreign Policy as 'Defeatist' Towards Azerbaijan

Bishops and diocesan primates of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Armenia have criticized the Pashinyan government, accusing it of pursuing a “defeatist” foreign policy towards Azerbaijan.

The church leaders, in a statement, highlighted the Armenian government’s willingness to cede control over several villages in the country’s Tavush Province to Azerbaijan.

They assert that Pashinyan’s government is succumbing to threats made by Baku concerning these villages. Last month, the Armenian prime minister warned that Armenia faces the risk of a new conflict with Azerbaijan if it does not relinquish control over the four villages it has held since the early 1990s.

“With this defeatist approach, with successive painful territorial concessions, in fact, Azerbaijan’s false claims and reprehensible ambitions regarding the territories of Armenia are legitimized by the international community,” the clerics write.

They criticize the Pashinyan government՛s policy of striving for an “era of peace” through unilateral concessions as unrealistic and fraught with risk.