Today, on April 18th, during a presentation of the report on the implementation process and results of the Government’s 2021-2026 program for 2022 in the National Assembly, the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, made several statements about the negotiation process and its results.

Pashinyan stated that “The peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan can become a reality if both countries clearly, without ambiguities and pitfalls, recognize each other’s territorial integrity and commit to never making territorial claims against each other. In fact, we agreed on this with the President of Azerbaijan on October 6, 2022, in Prague and on October 31 in Sochi, as recorded in the relevant public statements.”

“I want to reaffirm that Armenia fully recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and we expect Azerbaijan to do the same, recognizing the entire territory of the Armenian SSR as the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan continued.

Map of Armenia and Azerbaijan per the Alma-Ata declaration

“Peace is possible if we clearly state that we recognize the Republic of Armenia on 29,800 square kilometers. If we fail to do so, no one will support our development. Otherwise, at least the non-existence of our state will become a matter of other’s agenda. No one will support us in this situation,” Pashinyan concluded.

Pashinyan also mentioned that Armenia proposed the inclusion of maps of the Armenian and Azerbaijani SSRs, which were prepared and approved by the USSR, to be attached to the peace agreement as the basis for the territorial integrity of both countries.

In response to Pashinyan’s announcement, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, delivered an ultimatum to Armenia and the residents of Artsakh.

He stated, “Armenia, which announced its readiness for a peace agreement based on the Alma-Ata declaration, should now officially announce that Karabakh is Azerbaijan. Armenians living in the Karabakh region must choose to either accept Azerbaijani citizenship or find another place to live.”

If Artsakh is recognized as Azerbaijani territory, the presence of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh will become illegal, and Russia will have to decide whether to withdraw completely or to fight for the rights of Armenian citizens.