RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyanof "Armenpress".responded to the statements made by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, during an interview with Azerbaijani television stations on January 7.
- Mr. Prime Minister, the President of Azerbaijan made aggressive statements to the Republic of Armenia in an interview with local TV stations. What is your assessment?
- Perhaps Baku is trying to create "legitimacy" for the escalation in the region. Aggressive statements are made with the expectation that Yerevan will respond aggressively, which will give Baku the opportunity to make its own statements more aggressive, combining this with the spread of false information about the violation of the ceasefire regime by the Armenian army, leading to a new escalation in the region. to form a 'justification'.
We will not go down this path, we will stick to the peace strategy and consistently pursue the peace agenda, which means we will use the language of dialogue rather than aggression.
We will continue to focus on demarcation, agreement on the text of the peace treaty, implementation of the "Crossroads of Peace" project, humanitarian issues, including clarifying the fate of the missing.
- The president of Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of being a fascist state. Is this also part of the logic you mentioned?
- Undoubtedly, because the calculation is that the reaction will be: you are the fascist, and the gallows I described will start to tighten. But there is another approach. let's record that there is such a perception about Armenia in Azerbaijan and try to understand what is the reason for it.
It is these mutual perceptions that have led to the multi-year conflict. But the strategy for peace is for us to record that there is a similar perception of us in Azerbaijan, and for them to record that there is a similar perception of them in Armenia. It is about discussing and addressing these perceptions the agenda. Part of the agreed articles of the peace treaty closes the page of some of these perceptions, and with other parts it gives the opportunity to make all the mutual negative perceptions part of the bilateral agenda and address them.
I would like to add that we have proposed solutions regarding the two non-agreed articles of the Peace Treaty and we are ready to sign the treaty if Azerbaijan gives a positive response.
- The president of Azerbaijan spoke again about the corridor, saying that it should be opened and will be opened. What does this mean?
- The Republic of Armenia has put the "Crossroads of Peace" project on the table and is preparing to implement it. there is no other project on our agenda. "Crossroads of Peace" implies the opening of all transport communications in the region, including Azerbaijan-Azerbaijan through the territory of Armenia and Armenia-Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan.
I have already had the opportunity to announce that we have made a very specific proposal to Azerbaijan to open the Yeraskh-Sadarak-Ordubad-Zangelan railway. It is more than a proposal, it is a concrete solution to specific issues, and we are waiting for Azerbaijan's positive response, after which it will be completed the consent will be put on paper and we will start the construction of our sections of the railway.
- And what about the so-called "Western Azerbaijan" about Aliyev's statement yesterday?
- Nothing new was said on this topic, so that I have a new reactionGiven to "Armenpress".In the previous interview, I reiterate my response.
- The President of Azerbaijan once again spoke about the armament of the Republic of Armenia, saying that it will only bring new tension to the region...
- I have touched on that topic many times. There is no element of illegitimacy in the reform agenda of the Republic of Armenia. I must repeat that the Republic of Armenia recognizes the territorial integrity of all its neighbors, including Azerbaijan, and expects the same from Azerbaijan. : I have also announced that we do not pose the problem of returning more than 200 square kilometers of the occupied territories of Armenia by military means, because the process of demarcation makes this issue possible. to address in a peaceful, negotiated way.
With all this in mind, no one can dispute the right of the Republic of Armenia to have a defensive army. As for the concerns regarding the armament, we also have concerns about being armed by Azerbaijan, and we have also heard their concerns.
This is the reason why we made a proposal to Azerbaijan to form a mechanism for mutual control of weapons and we are waiting for their answer.
- In recent days, Azerbaijan has spread information several times that the Armenian army has violated the ceasefire regime on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia has denied this information, reminding of the proposal to create a joint mechanism for investigating ceasefire violations.
- Of course, the information about the violation of the ceasefire regime by our army does not correspond to the reality. But in order not to make such situations a reason for periodic debates, we have proposed to create a joint mechanism to jointly check every alarm regarding the violation of the ceasefire regime. We are waiting for Azerbaijan's response.
- Ilham Aliyev also said that the next meeting of the demarcation commissions will take place in January.
- Yes, a meeting is planned in January. I am sure that the positive experience of demarcation in 2024 should be developed in a calm, working environment.
