Peace Is the Only Alternative for Our Country: Ararat Mirzoyan

While we continue to make efforts to build and strengthen partnerships across a wide geographic area, our priority remains the formation and promotion of a peaceful and prosperous environment around Armenia, within our immediate neighborhood.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, delivered a speech at the opening of the regional gathering of ambassadors from the European Union’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

“Peace is the only alternative for our country. Our government is steadfastly committed to promoting sustainable peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus. We are consistently striving to establish comprehensive and institutionalized peace with Azerbaijan. As you know, Armenia and Azerbaijan have stated that the draft text of the Peace Treaty has been agreed upon, and Armenia is ready to sign and ratify this document immediately,” he stated.

“Although it is still unclear whether Azerbaijan has genuine concerns or is artificially prolonging the process, the fact remains that the agreed-upon Peace Treaty between the two countries has yet to be signed. If the concerns are genuine, for instance regarding constitutional issues, I can assure you that the most clear and direct way to address all parties' concerns is through the signing of the treaty and its ratification by Parliament following the positive conclusion from Armenia’s Constitutional Court.”

“In any case, we call on our European partners to enhance their support for this process. Therefore, we expect our EU partners to consistently emphasize the urgent necessity of signing the Peace Agreement with Armenia in both their direct communications with Baku and in their public statements and communications.”

“Alongside efforts to establish peace, we are actively promoting the unblocking of communications in our region within the framework of the principles enshrined in the ‘Peace Crossroads’ initiative. This initiative proposes that all transport infrastructures and communication lines in the South Caucasus—whether they be roads, railways, energy, or communication lines—operate under the sovereignty and national jurisdiction of the states through which they pass, and be based on the principles of mutual respect and equality.”

“We consider the ‘Peace Crossroads’ to be fully compatible with the EU’s ‘Global Gateway’ and ‘Middle Corridor’ concepts, which increasingly highlight transparent, secure, and sovereignty-respecting connectivity. Armenia's engagement in these frameworks is both timely and necessary. Now is the right time for Armenia to anchor itself more deeply and strategically in Europe’s evolving connectivity vision as a committed, predictable, democratic, and principled partner at the heart of a region undergoing profound transformation.”

“Our commitment to regional peace and stability is also evidenced by the steps we have taken in the process of normalizing relations with Turkey. High-level dialogues continue, including meetings between the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Turkey, as well as my communications with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. We are deeply convinced that full normalization, the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the opening of borders will open significant opportunities for both our countries and the broader region.”

“I spoke about normalizing relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, but I want to note that we already have established and intensive cooperation with our other two neighbors, Georgia and Iran. Our cooperation with Iran adds additional strategic depth; through the Persian Gulf - Black Sea corridor, we can contribute to extensive regional connectivity, linking Central Asia and the South Caucasus with the Gulf countries and beyond.”