Pashinyan and Aliyev Have Not Reached Agreement on Fundamental Issues, MP Says

The Armenian and Azerbaijani sides have not yet managed to agree on fundamental points, said Arman Yeghoyan, a member of the National Assembly from the ruling Civil Contract party and head of the permanent commission on European integration, in an interview with Radio Free Europe, as reported by Tert.am. He recalled that during the last meeting between Pashinyan and Aliyev, an agreement was reached for the foreign ministers to meet in November.

“This means there is still room for work, and it is possible to bring the positions closer over the next two months,” he stated.

Below is an excerpt from the interview.

- Today, a soldier was killed at the border by enemy fire, and in recent days, Azerbaijan has repeatedly accused the Armenian side of firing at its positions, which Yerevan denies. If we generalize this picture, does it mean that the Brussels negotiations have not yielded results, and moreover, that the situation has worsened since then?

- I cannot say such a sharp formulation that they have not yielded results, but I can say that it has not yet been possible to agree on fundamental points. However, an agreement has been reached for the foreign ministers to meet in November, which means there is still room to work, and it is possible to bring positions closer in the next two months.

- By the way, do you know what the main question is? It is whether to consider the issue of Artsakh in the context of the Armenia-Azerbaijan relations package or outside of it, specifically, if… I mentioned it from the Armenian perspective, including whether or not to include it, but from the Azerbaijani perspective, whether to consider it at all in any context. Naturally, they do not intend to consider it from their side.

- In commenting on these negotiations, Ilham Aliyev has said that he considers it realistic to conclude a peace treaty in the coming months, based on Azerbaijan's known provisions, including mutual recognition of territorial integrity. But Mr. Yeghoyan, there has been no mention of Nagorno-Karabakh.

- Yes, from their side, of course, there is no mention; they do not want to talk about it at all, while we want to talk about it. That is the main fundamental disagreement. Whether to talk about it or not, if to talk about it, when to talk about it, to talk about it now or later, to talk about it in the general package or outside of the general package. This is where there is a certain dilemma, and this is also where there is a certain dilemma among the co-chairs, and this complexity makes the situation more complicated and layered.

- Is it true that Yerevan is also inclined to reach that treaty in the near future…?

- If our points are taken into account, and it is possible to achieve tangible and sustainable progress in guaranteeing the rights of the people of Artsakh, I do not rule that out, but only if.

- There was a publication in the media that recently, during the debriefing of the results with the Prime Minister's faction, such an idea was also expressed by Pashinyan.

- I can answer that question very directly, but I do not have a habit of leaking thoughts from a closed meeting even if there is no secret involved, I just don’t reshuffle thoughts like a shorthand out. I said that there is such a possibility.