Mirzoyan Explains Why Armenia Continuously Talks About Recognizing Azerbaijani Territory

Recognition of Azerbaijan with an area of 86.6 square kilometers by Armenia and Armenia with an area of 29.8 square kilometers by Azerbaijan are political statements. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated this in parliament after presenting the performance of the 2022 budget, responding to the question of Gegham Manukyan, a member of the "Armenia" faction.

According to Manukyan, the government continually emphasizes the territory of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. He sought clarification from Mirzoyan on whether any Azerbaijani official had explicitly stated the phrase "the area of the Republic of Armenia is 29.8 square kilometers."
"In the reciprocal recognition and the establishment of diplomatic relations, there is no mention of area. I assume this, as I have not read all. In the case of Armenia, the area is 29.8 square kilometers, and for Azerbaijan, it is 86.6 square kilometers; these are political statements. They indicate that Armenia has no territorial claim from Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan has no territorial claim from Armenia in the area and boundaries that existed for the two socialist republics that were part of the Soviet Union," Mirzoyan noted.

Arthur Khachatryan, a member of the "Armenia" faction, pointed out that when the government continuously emphasizes the 86.6 square kilometers of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, it already predetermines the status of Nagorno-Karabakh without having the consent of the NKR authorities.