Hasmik Hakobyan on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Declaration Process

In a declaration signed in Washington with the participation of U.S. President Donald Trump, there is a clause where both Yerevan and Baku confirm their readiness to establish bilateral relations. Hasmik Hakobyan, a member of the ruling 'Civil Contract' parliamentary faction and the permanent committee on foreign relations of the National Assembly, stated this in an interview with NEWS.am, responding to the question of whether the Armenian authorities are ready to provide platforms for various civil society organizations operating both in Armenia and Azerbaijan to establish dialogue between the two societies.

According to her, the discussion concerns economic, social, sports, and cultural relations. 'We need to start from something. Will it be easy? No. But we are obliged to prepare our societies. Yes, perhaps not today. Maybe in a few years. But this is done to ensure peace for our children and grandchildren. We are now creating the necessary ground for that,' Hakobyan said.

She also emphasized, 'We have been convinced of the correctness of our steps. We will not be stopped by any shout from behind us. The main thing is that we have real peace. This should be approached gradually.'

It is noteworthy that a declaration consisting of seven points was signed following the meeting of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Washington on August 8. However, a draft peace agreement has not yet been signed.