Armenia ready to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh: PM
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Pashinyan said that he expects Baku to recognize Armenia's sovereign territory of 29.8 thousand square kilometers.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan speaks during his address to the nation in Yerevan, Armenia November 12, 2020. (Reuters)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Yerevan is willing to recognize all of Azerbaijan's sovereignty over all its territory including the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh.
"Those 86.6 thousand square kilometers also include Nagorno-Karabakh. But we also need to state that the issues of the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians have to be discussed in the Baku-Stepanakert format," Pashinyan told a briefing.
Pashinyan said that he expects Baku to recognize Armenia's sovereign territory of 29.8 thousand square kilometers.
Pashinyan added that guarantees should be given for the safety of Armenians living in Karabakh: to ensure that no ethnic purges or genocide is perpetrated against them.
On his part, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that a peace treaty between the two countries was inevitable.
Read more: UN top court orders Azerbaijan to ensure Karabakh road opening
The two former Soviet republics have been warring for decades now over territorial disputes. In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a bloody war recapturing the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabkh. In the process, thousands of Armenians and Azerbaijanis were killed.
Territorial integrity has been the primary cause of discord between the two countries and thus it is expected to be at the top of the agenda. Last month, Pashinyan announced that Yerevan is willing to accept Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Peace talks have been mediated by the EU, the US, and Russia.
Earlier this week, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed to hold talks with his Azeri counterpart, in Moscow, following a Russian proposal.
In a cabinet address in Yerevan, Pashinyan said, "We received a proposal from Russia to hold a trilateral meeting at the highest level under the mediation of the president of Russia on May 25. We have accepted that proposal."
While the West has attempted to sideline Russian efforts and overtake its peace-making role between the two Caucasian countries facing a decades-long territorial conflict, Moscow continues its efforts.
On May 14th, EU Commission President Charles Michel denied that Brussels had ulterior intentions in holding a round of discussions between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Pashinyan.
Michel told reporters after a trilateral meeting that "the EU has no hidden agenda. Our sole aim is to help Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a comprehensive and fair peace. We are ready to contribute to their joint efforts. We have agreed to hold the Brussels meetings as often as necessary."
Read more: EU to host peace talks between Armenia, Azerbaijan: POLITICO
