"After the 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan is in a state of euphoria, thinking about taking as much as possible, and if possible, taking everything," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told at the special session of the Armenian National Assembly on April 18.

"This perception of it [i.e. Azerbaijan] is further fueled by the international situation. Basically, Azerbaijan is becoming or has become, directly or indirectly, an energy or logistics crossroads. And its importance has increased both for Russia and for some Western countries. This situation brings both risks and opportunities.

"We see the risks almost everywhere, while the opportunity is perhaps that the South Caucasus itself is a big crossroads. The role of Armenia and Georgia is no less important. In this context, peace and stability in the region can become a consensus between the West and Russia," the Armenian Prime Minister stressed.

According to Pashinyan, if the South Caucasus "explodes" again, it could become a problem for both Russia and the West, at least in terms of energy, with other consequences arising from energy.

"Of course, peace depends on us, also on our positions. And it is my sincere wish to do everything possible to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan as soon as possible. I believe that such a development is possible, but for this it is necessary to face a number of problems.

"The peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will become realistic if the two countries recognize each other's territorial integrity and pledge not to make territorial claims against each other today and in the future. In fact, we agreed on this with the President of Azerbaijan in Prague and Sochi.

"I would like to reiterate that Armenia fully recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and we expect Azerbaijan to do the same by recognizing the entire territory of the Armenian SSR as the Republic of Armenia," the Armenian Prime Minister said.

He emphasized that the Armenian side proposed that the maps of the Armenian and Azerbaijani SSRs prepared and approved by the USSR be attached to the said peace treaty as a basis for the territorial integrity of the two countries.

When asked about Armenia’s plans to balance the gap between the Azerbaijani and Armenian armies, Pashinyan mentioned the major plans to restore that gap. However, he emphasized that the matter should not be discussed in public. He expressed willingness to discuss these plans in confidential settings with political allies and the parliamentary opposition.