Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan hosts his Iranian counterpart in Yerevan on Dec. 27
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday said that the specifics of the delimitation of borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be included in an eventual peace treaty with Azerbaijan, thus countering Baku’s insistence that the border process not be linked to peace discussions.
Last week, Himet Hajiyev, the chief advisor to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, told reporters in London that Baku would consider separating the border delimitation process from the peace talks and an eventual peace treaty. A day later, Armenia’s Parliament Speaker, who has taken it upon himself to discuss and express approaches to foreign policy matters, said that he did not see a problem in separating the two issues.
With his remarks on Wednesday, Mirzoyan clarified that Yerevan wants the delimitation issues — including the the maps that are to be used in that process — to be included in the language of a peace deal.
“It is extremely important for us that the future delimitation process is predictable and its principles, its foundations are fixed in the peace agreement,” Mirzoyan told reporters on Wednesday during a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was visiting Yerevan.
“For us, a reference to [concrete] maps would be such a way of ensuring that predictability without predetermining the results [of the process],” added Mirzoyan.
“The three principles pertain to the sovereignty of countries, mutual recognition of territorial integrity and inviolability of borders. When talking about transport and communication infrastructures, we once again address the jurisdiction within the context of these three principles. They are principles accepted by the international community and their legitimacy is recognized worldwide,” Mirzoyan emphasized.
Mirzoyan said that the Armenian government is making every effort to bring the peace process to its logical conclusion, but emphasized that a peace treaty cannot be achieved unilaterally and called for Azerbaijan’s cooperation.
“We have repeatedly emphasized the Republic of Armenia’s commitment to engaging in conscientious and constructive negotiations with Azerbaijan. The ultimate goal of these negotiations is the settlement of relations and the establishment of peace. We have consistently reaffirmed our dedication to the peace process and the establishment of lasting peace in our region,” said Mirzoyan.
“We have had negotiations with Azerbaijan in several directions and several phases; we are working on a concrete draft of the peace treaty. Recently, we have received new proposals from the Azerbaijani side, which we will thoroughly study and respond appropriately, submitting our own proposals,” he added.
“There is a real possibility to achieve peace; there is a window to bring the process to a logical end. We do have a chance for peace despite the many obstacles and difficulties we have faced. Despite even the forced displacement of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, the hate speech from Azerbaijan, the aggressive rhetoric, we really see that opportunity,’’ said Mirzoyan, noting that the Armenian government is doing its utmost to ensure that the process leading to peace reaches its logical conclusion.
Mirzoyan expressed hope that Azerbaijan would show such constructiveness. He added that positive signals are visible, such as the agreements reached due to the recent contacts, which led to the release of prisoners of war and detainees. In turn, Armenia supported Azerbaijan’s bid to host the 29th Session of the UN Climate Change summit next year.
“On the other hand, we observe negative signals, given the aggressive statements and calls from Azerbaijan, and the avoidance of high-level meetings. Although there are proposals, the meetings have not taken place recently. We hope that in the near future, we will have the opportunity to sign a long-term peace agreement,” concluded Mirzoyan.
