Azerbaijan Continues to Present Additional Demands to Armenia, Says Khandanyan

Member of the National Assembly delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, Sargis Khandanyan, congratulated his Ukrainian and Moldovan colleagues at the Plenary Session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly on the decision to start negotiations on EU membership, as well as his Georgian colleagues on obtaining candidate status for EU membership.

“The recent decision undoubtedly brings the European Union closer to our region, presenting a new reality and numerous opportunities. Over the past two years, relations between Armenia and the European Union have significantly improved both qualitatively and in terms of pace. I express my gratitude to our colleagues in the European Parliament for appreciating the efforts and aspirations of the Armenian government in this regard and for their steadfast support of our democracy and independence,” he stated.

The deployment of the European long-term civil monitoring mission in Armenia not only strengthens Armenia's security architecture but also expands the possibilities for cooperation in the security sector. I am optimistic that a decision will soon be made regarding the accessibility of the European Peace Facility.

We also aim to begin dialogue on visa liberalization as soon as possible and remain committed to fulfilling our part of the work within the CEPA framework, as well as implementing joint initiatives in communication, energy, and other fields,” Khandanyan said.

Khandanyan noted that Armenia is also looking forward to a continued and more active participation of the European Union in the process of normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “In this regard, I express my gratitude for the resolution adopted by this parliament on March 13, which pertains to closer EU-Armenia ties and the necessity of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. This resolution accurately reflects the evolving dynamics and positive shifts in the relations between Armenia and the European Union, as well as the principles of the peace process and negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

Article 16 of this resolution clearly formulates the principles that should underlie the normalization and future peace agreement. My colleague has already spoken about these principles. I just want to add that these principles have been agreed upon and confirmed by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan during negotiations over the past two years. Armenia has reaffirmed at the highest level its commitments to these fundamental principles for the prompt normalization of relations.

Unfortunately, Azerbaijan continues to present additional demands to Armenia and obstruct the progress of the peace process. It is extremely important to emphasize that adherence to the principles enshrined in the Almaty Declaration is not only substantive in the context of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan but is also fundamentally important for respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova,” Khandanyan concluded.