Pashinyan Calls on Aliyev

The peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is crucial for the stability and security of our region. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during his speech at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

He specifically noted, “From the very first day of my tenure, I have taken steps in this context. For this purpose, I made a statement that any resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan.”

It is noteworthy that I was the first Armenian leader to express such a position regarding the resolution of the conflict. I faced harsh criticism within my country for proposing a formula that equates the three parties in the conflict. Nevertheless, I believe this is the key to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, as it implies the possibility of compromise, mutual respect, and balance.

I presented this formula not only to the public but also within the framework of negotiations conducted under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group. In moving forward, I expected a similar statement from Azerbaijan as well. However, the top authorities of Azerbaijan have remained committed to their position, seeking a resolution to the Karabakh issue that would be acceptable only to the Azerbaijani people.

What does this actually mean? It means that the Azerbaijani authorities have no intention of resolving this conflict. Instead, they want to prevail over the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. They do not wish to go for any compromise.

Their goal is revenge for the aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s and in 2016. This is why they inflame anti-Armenian sentiments among their people, why they expend vast resources on armaments, and why anti-Armenianism has already become Azerbaijan's official policy.

In fact, our adversaries want to restore the status of Nagorno-Karabakh to that of Soviet times. But this is a futile effort, as during the Soviet era, the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast declared their independence and exercised their right to self-determination just as Azerbaijan did when it left the Soviet Union.

This position of Azerbaijan is equivalent to the idea of restoring the Soviet Union.

The Azerbaijani government presents the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We do not agree at all with such an interpretation of the conflict. This is not a dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This dispute is not about territorial claims. It is about people, about the rights of men and women to live in their homeland, as their ancestors have lived for centuries.

Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani authorities do not want to talk to these people and negotiate with them, as they wish to have territories but not people. More precisely, territories without people.

Ladies and gentlemen, I consider it important to explain why I am addressing this topic. It may seem that I intend to contribute to an escalation of tensions in the region. Of course not; on the contrary, I want to say that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a very complex and painful issue for the peoples of the region, which cannot be resolved without serious and consistent efforts, without compromise, mutual respect, and a balanced approach.

Therefore, I call on my colleague, President Ilham Aliyev, to accept this formula and create conditions for progress in the peace process. Any resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be acceptable to the people of Armenia, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the people of Azerbaijan. We must work together to make this formula a reality.