18:29,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian National Assembly delegation is taking part in the work of the Winter Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA).

According to the readout issued by National Assembly press service, the Head of the Armenian National Assembly delegation, the Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Sargis Khandanyan delivered a speech in the Assembly.

“Mr. Chair,

You presented your vision for the draft report of this committee. Of course, we will have time and opportunity before our annual session in Bucharest to contribute to this report and draft resolution, but I would like to emphasize the importance of inclusion in the text of the principles for the settlement of the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Those principles are the following:

1.Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to recognize each other’s territorial integrity based on the 1991 Almaty Declaration.

2.Two countries have agreed to conduct the delimitation process between the two countries on the political basis of the 1991 Almaty Declaration.

3.Two countries have agreed to unblock transport and economic links based on respect for the sovereignty and jurisdiction of either country, on the basis of reciprocity and equality.

The above-mentioned principles have been agreed and reconfirmed between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Prague in 2022, in Brussels last year, and in Munich a few days ago. After those meetings Armenia in the highest level reconfirmed its commitments to those fundamental points for the normalization of relations as soon as possible. It is very important, dear colleagues, to continue to call Azerbaijan to strongly adhere to these principles and to engage in the peace process based on these understandings without further delays and demands including territorial claims towards Armenia.

The adherence to the principles of Almaty declaration has a paramount importance for this process. 12 Soviet republics by joining this declaration and becoming sovereign states, recognized each other's territorial integrity, inviolability of borders and sovereignty. And thus, with the Almaty declaration, the existing administrative borders between the Soviet republics became state borders.

This principle is not only actual for the context of the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but it also fundamental for the respect of the other post-Soviet republics’ territorial integrity including Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova,” Sargis Khandanyan said.