VIDEO: Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity of 86,600 sq km, says Pashinyan

The war is a great test for democracy. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the 4th summit of the Council of Europe held in Reykjavik, Iceland.

According to him, the trilateral agreement signed by him on November 9, 2020, was the reason for what he termed an 'attack' on state institutions, yet the snap elections provided an opportunity to uphold democracy and public order. He noted that a peace agenda was also successfully formulated, but this agenda also came under attack with Azerbaijan carrying out military provocations against Armenia's sovereign territory.

The Prime Minister reminded that just a few days ago, with the mediation of Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, they reaffirmed with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev the recognition of each other's territorial integrity in accordance with the Alma-Ata Declaration adopted in 1991, whereby Armenia's territory is 29,800 sq km, while Azerbaijan's is 86,600 sq km.

Pashinyan also spoke about the illegal blockade of Lachin, which has caused the Armenian population living in Nagorno-Karabakh to face a humanitarian crisis for over 5 months. “Today, unblocking the Lachin corridor is our priority, and it is also important to begin negotiations between Baku and Stepanakert aimed at ensuring the safety and human rights of the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh,” stressed Prime Minister Pashinyan and emphasized the importance of applying international mechanisms in this matter.

According to the Prime Minister, the Council of Europe, by helping to address these issues, will contribute to stability and democracy in the South Caucasus. It should be reminded that Nikol Pashinyan traveled to Iceland on May 15 to participate in the CE summit. During his visit, he will also have bilateral meetings with international partners.