At This Stage, We Need to Make Decisions on Several Fundamental Issues. Pashinyan

Nikol Pashinyan attended the regular meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders in Moscow. The event began with a photo-op for the leaders, followed by meetings in both narrow and expanded formats.

During the narrow format meeting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan delivered a speech in which he particularly stated: “Honorable leaders of the states, esteemed colleagues, I am pleased to welcome you to the regular meeting of the CIS leaders. First of all, I want to express my gratitude to the Russian side, and personally to the President of the Russian Federation, for the hospitality shown and for organizing the current meeting at the highest level.”

“Today's meeting is a good opportunity to exchange opinions on current issues regarding the developments in the CIS area. In this context, I would like to inform you from Armenia's perspective about the situation in the peace process between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the vision of Yerevan regarding its further development.”

“The Government of the Republic of Armenia is firmly committed to the prompt establishment of peace in the South Caucasus and to putting the region on a path of stable and predictable development, taking into account the interests of all countries in the region. This year, we have made tangible progress in the demarcation process of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, and specifically, based on the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991, demarcation has been carried out in three sections of the border between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and in those sections, the inter-republican administrative borders of the Soviet era have already been reproduced as demarcated interstate borders. This is undoubtedly an example of success.”

“Another important event took place on August 30 of this year, when the regulation on the joint activities of the commissions on the demarcation of the state border between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan was signed. The internal state procedures for the adoption of this document in Armenia are currently concluding, and this month the Armenian parliament will discuss the ratification of this document. It is important to note that the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia has already confirmed the compliance of the signed regulation with the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, which means that the recognition of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Government of the Republic of Armenia based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, which implies all of Soviet Azerbaijan's territory, is constitutional, which in turn means that there are no territorial claims against Azerbaijan or any other country in the Constitution of Armenia.”

“Esteemed colleagues, we come from a firm conviction that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not only possible but also attainable. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have recently announced that the draft agreement on the establishment of peace and interstate relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan has been agreed upon by at least 80 percent.”

“Recently, an agreement has been reached in the format of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to intensify work on finalizing the approval of the peace treaty draft. In principle, we can operate based on the following logic, which we propose to Azerbaijan: sign what has already been agreed upon, thus having not only de facto but also de jure peace, and continue to work on all remaining issues.”

“In any case, it is impossible to develop a peace treaty that would address all issues and regulate all aspects of bilateral relations. Regardless of what the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan may be, there will inevitably remain important, fundamental issues that need to be agreed upon, resolved, and for which new treaties need to be signed.”

“Moreover, in the presence of a signed and ratified peace treaty, resolving other issues will be much easier since a completely different situation will prevail in the region. At this stage, we need to make decisions on several fundamental questions that may lay a solid foundation for establishing peace between our countries.”

“This pertains to the mutual recognition of each other's territorial integrity. It concerns the establishment of an obligation to affirm the absence of territorial claims against each other and not to present such claims in the future. It involves adhering to the principles of non-use of force and the threat of force, non-intervention in each other's internal affairs, the establishment of diplomatic relations, and creating bilateral mechanisms for the implementation of obligations undertaken by the parties within the framework of the peace treaty.”

“All these issues are already formulated and agreed upon by the parties in the draft agreement on the establishment of peace and interstate relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and we are ready to sign this document already this month, and this is our official position.”

“Honorable leaders of states, another important aspect of establishing stability in the South Caucasus is the issue of unblocking all transport and economic connections. In this regard, we propose concrete solutions reflected in the ‘Peace Crossing’ project we have developed. The essence of this project is as follows: Armenia is ready to ensure the transit of vehicles, cargo, passengers, pipelines, and cables through its territory from Georgia to Iran and vice versa, from Turkey to Azerbaijan and vice versa, and so on.”

“We are ready to ensure the transit of vehicles, cargo, passengers, pipelines, and cables between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.”

“In response to our proposals, Azerbaijan emphasizes that if Armenia does not want to open regional communications, Azerbaijan will take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran to connect with Nakhchivan. We, of course, do not object, as this is a matter of the bilateral sovereign relationship between the two countries. However, I would like to emphasize once again that Armenia wants the opening of regional communications and that we are ready to provide transit communication through our territory on the same terms as provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“Furthermore, we are ready to implement certain simplifications in border control procedures, respecting the principles of reciprocity, equality, the sovereignty of the parties, andlegal authority.”

“In this context, I emphasize that the Republic of Armenia is fully prepared to ensure the safety of cargo, vehicles, and the movement of people through its territory. This is our wish, our obligation, and we guarantee it. By the way, all statements claiming that Armenia has somehow agreed that third countries will ensure the security of communications in its sovereign territory, or that this is stipulated by any document, are simply not true. Ensuring security in one’s territory is a sovereign obligation of any country. It is our responsibility, and we will guarantee it.”

“In conclusion, I would like to congratulate our Tajik friends on the occasion of assuming the presidency in the CIS in 2025 and express the readiness of the Armenian side to exert all necessary efforts to implement mutually beneficial priority projects during Tajikistan's presidency in the CIS. Thank you for your attention.”

Following this, during the expanded format meeting, the heads of states signed the protocols on the issues approved in the agenda. Notably, matters concerning the development of cooperation within the CIS framework were discussed. Among other things, it was decided to recognize the city of Meghri in Armenia as the Cultural Capital of the CIS in 2026.