Borrell: Pashinyan is first Armenian leader to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan

Panorama
Armenia – June 14 2023

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have recognized each other's territorial integrity in concrete terms, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission, said at the European Parliament debates on Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on Tuesday.

“For the first time, and this may be relevant, Armenia has recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan,” he said.

"It’s the first time that an Armenia leader, in this case [Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan, has expressed it in such an unambiguous fashion. It was totally unambiguous what he had to say in regard to the place of Nagorno-Karabakh," the EU foreign policy chief stressed, referring to Pashinyan’s statements at a news conference in Yerevan in late May.

Borrell expressed hope that Baku would accept the Armenian premier’s message and send the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh "a positive narrative with a clear message concerning their rights and security, that they will be fully respected."

"This is one of the messages of the [potential peace] agreement, which should go hand in hand with other points of the negotiation process," the EU diplomat added.