Statement by Nikol Pashinyan and Jens Stoltenberg

A meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was held in the government. The Prime Minister welcomed Mr. Stoltenberg's visit to our country and stated: “Dear Secretary General, I welcome your visit and that of your delegation to the Republic of Armenia. I am very pleased with this visit, as it is clearly a great opportunity to discuss our extensive agenda, which we have just done. Of course, there are many familiar people in your delegation who regularly visit the Republic of Armenia; we provide them with fresh information, and they provide us with current information on issues and policies. Naturally, we are interested in deepening our cooperation with NATO and I hope that a program tailored individually for Armenia will be adopted as soon as possible. As you know, we are currently undergoing a phase of extensive reforms, and I hope this program will also benefit our foreign agenda. Once again, welcome.”

In turn, Jens Stoltenberg stated: “Thank you for hosting me and my delegation. We value our cooperation with Armenia highly. You have participated in various NATO missions and operations for many years, and we appreciate your contribution to the Kosovo mission. We hope now to deepen and strengthen our cooperation, including through the adoption of a program tailored specifically for Armenia. Of course, we support your sovereignty and territorial integrity. We also support your efforts to develop a more independent foreign policy, which we believe is crucial. I personally admire your leadership and commitment. We welcome your steps to strengthen democratic institutions, the rule of law, and also commend you for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.”

Prime Minister Pashinyan and the NATO Secretary General discussed the development of Armenia-NATO cooperation, as well as regionally significant issues. The Prime Minister presented the Armenian Government's “Peace Crossroads” project to his interlocutor. Jens Stoltenberg highlighted the importance of ensuring peace and stability in the region and emphasized that NATO supports Armenia's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and our country's peaceful aspirations.

Next, Nikol Pashinyan and Jens Stoltenberg made statements. The Prime Minister stated: “Dear Secretary General, esteemed colleagues, we are pleased to host NATO Secretary General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg and his delegation in Armenia. This visit is your first as NATO Secretary General to Armenia. It is a great opportunity to exchange views on both Armenia-NATO cooperation as well as regional and global stability and security issues. We are interested in continuing to develop the existing political dialogue and expanding our partnership with the Alliance, as well as with individual member states. We hope that the new format of Armenia-NATO cooperation, the ‘Individually Tailored Partnership Program,’ will be approved soon. In light of developments in our region, it is extremely important for Armenia to strengthen its resilience and develop appropriate defense capabilities. We also highly value Armenia's participation in peacekeeping operations, considering it an important contribution to ensuring international peace and security. The Armenian peacekeeping detachment continues its contribution to the Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission, and as you are aware, in July 2023, when there was a certain instability in Kosovo, Armenia increased its peacekeeping contingent by an additional 17 servicemen.

Effective dialogue is also taking place in the parliamentary arena, as our parliamentarians participate in NATO Parliamentary Assembly sessions and Rose Roth seminars. Dear colleagues, Armenia also continues to adhere to the policy of regionalization. Our special relations with Georgia and the Islamic Republic of Iran are extremely important, and any of our cooperation cannot be directed against our own region. I presented to Mr. Stoltenberg the vision and approaches of the Government of the Republic of Armenia to establish stability and peace in the South Caucasus. I reaffirm the readiness I have often expressed to regulate relations with Azerbaijan on the basis of the three principles, namely mutual recognition of territorial integrity based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, delimitation of the inter-state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan according to the Alma-Ata Declaration to restore the border that existed between the two republics at the time of the collapse of the USSR in 1991, and the unblocking of regional infrastructure, while respecting the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the transit countries, based on the principles of equality and reciprocity. In this regard, I have also presented our vision on the subject, which complements the “Peace Crossroads” project.

We expect the international community, including NATO, to steadfastly support the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the known and mutually agreed principles, as well as to unambiguously reject the politics of coercion and threats. I also presented the proposals on the mirroring withdrawal of forces from the 1991 Armenia-Azerbaijan border, mutual arms control, and signing a non-aggression treaty, which have not received a positive response from official Baku until now. We are also committed to the agenda of normalizing relations with Turkey. We believe that the implementation of agreements reached in 2022 and later reaffirmed with Turkey can positively impact the establishment of stability in the South Caucasus region.

During the conversation with the Secretary General, we also had the opportunity to discuss the agenda of reforms of the Armenian Armed Forces. I emphasized that this process is not directed against any state and is aimed at increasing the defense capabilities of the Armed Forces of Armenia to ensure the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. Dear Secretary General, in conclusion, allow me to thank you for the effective discussions. Once again, I welcome you to the Republic of Armenia and I am pleased to give the floor to you.”

In turn, the NATO Secretary General stated: “Thank you very much, Prime Minister Pashinyan, dear Nikol. I am very happy to see you again and delighted to be in Yerevan with you. This is my first official visit to Yerevan as NATO Secretary General. First of all, I greatly appreciate your personal leadership, the fact that you speak out clearly in favor of peace, and your unambiguous commitment to democratic values. Armenia has long been a partner of NATO, and I welcome and commend your contributions to NATO missions and operations. For nearly 20 years, Armenia has been one of the key partners in NATO’s peacekeeping missions, helping to ensure a secure and safe environment for all communities living in Kosovo. And I commend your increase in the participation of your servicemen in recent years. During today’s meeting, we discussed the importance of stability in the South Caucasus. This is vital for Euro-Atlantic security as we face a more dangerous world.

Today, Armenia and Azerbaijan have the opportunity to achieve lasting peace after years of conflict. That is why I urge both countries to reach an agreement that paves the way for normalization of relations and enduring peace for your peoples. NATO supports Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and your peaceful aspirations. The war in Ukraine is a sobering reminder that we cannot take peace for granted. I commend your solidarity with Ukraine and urge all partners to do everything in their power to ensure that Putin does not win his war of aggression. The situation on the battlefield remains severe, but that is why we must increase, not decrease our support. If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, there is a real risk that his aggression will not stop there and that other authoritarian actors will be inspired by this.

Today we also talked about the progress of Armenia’s internal reform efforts. I welcomed the fact that you are working to strengthen democratic oversight of your armed forces, including through your participation in NATO’s program to improve governance. You have shown real commitment to fighting corruption, strengthening your democratic institutions, and upholding the rule of law. Dear Prime Minister, once again thank you for your warm hospitality and for your work to build a brighter future for your country and region. I am hopeful that we can continue to strengthen our partnership, working together for greater peace, stability, and prosperity in the South Caucasus and beyond. Thank you.”