We Can Sign a Peace Treaty, but Military Escalation Could Occur Days Later: Prime Minister

Armenia will not sign a peace treaty that contradicts the interests of the Republic of Armenia. This was stated today during a press conference by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in response to a question about the red line that would lead Armenia to refuse to sign a peace treaty.

Pashinyan also mentioned that there is currently no ready version of a peace treaty. “If there were such a document, I would say that we have already signed or are preparing to sign it tomorrow. We have sent our responses to Azerbaijan and have not yet received a reply. I have said that we are ready to sign, and we will make every effort to ensure that we do so. Today I am saying again that we are ready to sign and will do everything on our part to sign the peace document,” stated Pashinyan.

Responding to the periodically circulating news about some version of the peace document, the Prime Minister indicated that if they manage to reach a point where the peace document is ready, it would not be bad news but rather good news, as it would mean that the interests of the Republic of Armenia are being balanced and protected. Furthermore, he noted that the issue is not only about the content of the document but also about the implementation of that content. As an example, the Prime Minister recalled the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, which is not being fulfilled today.

“We can sign a peace treaty, but military escalation could occur days later. Should we call it a peace treaty and sign it? The question is how much that signed document will bring the expected results. The text will not be perfect, let’s understand that from the start. But it can be balanced in accordance with the interests of the Republic of Armenia. However, if there are no mechanisms for the application and implementation of that document, we could sign a document titled ‘peace treaty’ and receive a new war or new escalation a week later,” he remarked.

Pashinyan stated that he would have been happy if such a document existed, and he could announce its details and mechanisms during today’s press conference. It is noteworthy that in 2021, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced his readiness to sign a peace treaty with Armenia. In March 2022, Baku sent a five-point proposal for the settlement of relations to Yerevan. The Armenian side made corrections and sent its version. Since then, there have been several rounds of negotiations between the parties at various levels.