«No Document Is Being Signed at This Time» - Suren Papikyan

No document is being signed at this time, and none is available; it has been a working document that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan elaborated on from the podium of the National Assembly. Suren Papikyan, the acting Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia, stated this during a press briefing with journalists in Gyumri today, referring to Prime Minister Pashinyan’s statement about 'I will sign the document' and discussions regarding the handover of six villages in Tavush.

“Any proposal that may arise from a third or mediator country must, of course, come to us in written form and also be sent to the opposing side. This process does not imply that if the document has arrived in this form, it is acceptable to us,” Papikyan noted.

He assured that there are no conditions for signing this document. “The Prime Minister did not say that if we do not sign, they will not leave. Such a thing was not said. We tend to see everything as worse than it really is. There’s no problem; we are open with the public and ready to discuss everything openly. Everything has been discussed; if new questions arise, we are prepared to talk about these questions,” the acting minister emphasized.

Addressing the ongoing negotiations, Papikyan informed that they are still continuing. “Naturally, the main focus is on the area around Lake Sevan, where armed forces from the neighboring country are deployed in certain areas, but the situation is different in many other places. We are trying to resolve the issue through negotiations as slowly as possible, without any escalation. Our Russian partners and colleagues from the Collective Security Treaty Organization are also involved in this process,” he stated.

Regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the situation varies in different locations, according to the acting minister. “The Prime Minister spoke about the village of Artsvashen, which is part of Soviet Armenia and de jure part of Armenia, and is currently under the control of Azerbaijan. It is inappropriate to return to what territories are under our control,” Papikyan noted. He advised the media to be more cautious regarding border issues. “What the press proposes becomes a demand from the neighboring country two days later. Let’s be a bit more closed and limited on border issues,” the official said.