The Document on the Table, I Was Prepared to Sign: Pashinyan

“Neither have things deepened, nor have they not deepened,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during a Q&A session with the government, referring to reports of Azerbaijani aggression leading to incursions into Armenian territory the day before. Pashinyan mentioned that, essentially, there is no progress; there are merely positional changes within the same area.

“From a balance point of view, nothing has changed. There are areas that have been invaded, where both we and the Azerbaijanis have positions. We had them before, and we still have them now. During this period, the distribution of positions changes. We move to another place, rendering their positions meaningless; they remove them and relocate elsewhere within the same area. Since May 12, Azerbaijanis have invaded the territory of the Republic of Armenia and occupied 41 square kilometers. The day before, they also exhibited aggression against Armenia. As a result of yesterday’s actions, the balance has not changed in any way,” Pashinyan remarked.

He noted that since May 12, the positions of the Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces have been arranged in a chessboard-like manner, sometimes “intricately mixed with each other in an illogical way.” The Prime Minister stated that even prior to May 12, an area of about 40 square kilometers was under Azerbaijani control as a result of the first war.

“As a result of the first war, there are also territories of Soviet Azerbaijan that have been and continue to be under the control of Armenia. Essentially, it is due to these circumstances that the processes of demarcation and delimitation of borders are emphasized. When it is said that Azerbaijan has occupied our territories, the average reaction is: ‘Yes, that is true, but it is not entirely the case that there is a straightforward balance. There are areas that are under your control but should not be, and there are areas that should not be under Azerbaijan’s control,’” Pashinyan added.

He further stated that we have had and continue to have such situations in the past. As long as these issues exist, the international community views this as a source of tension and expects that the parties will discuss the matter, find solutions, and get it back on track; they also accept and understand the message from the international community in this regard.

“No matter how much I was subjected to severe criticism at the time, the document that was laid on the table, I was ready to sign it. The process was disrupted due to political noise. Since then, there have been two invitations to start, and we have agreed to start the process. There is no secret in this,” Pashinyan concluded.