Armenian FM on guarantees for agreements with Azerbaijan

During his address to the National Assembly, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan responded to questions regarding guarantees for peace agreements and the opening of communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

According to him, the idea of involving a third party—particularly a superpower—as the best guarantee is unfounded. “Such guarantees don’t work; we’ve learned that from experience,” he said.

According to Mirzoyan, all agreements reached with Azerbaijan are mutually beneficial. He also responded to opposition accusations about the reduction of Armenia’s territory: “Since the declaration of independence in 1991, Armenia’s territory has remained unchanged on paper. However, there is a slight difference. As a result of military actions, about 200 square kilometers of our sovereign territory are now under Azerbaijan’s control. It’s no secret that there are also areas officially belonging to Azerbaijan that are currently controlled by our armed forces.”

Mirzoyan emphasized that this issue should not be resolved through renewed military action or the liberation of these sovereign territories. He added that Armenia has been in isolation for over 30 years, and discussions are now underway to unblock communications.

“We’re talking about the full unblocking of transport infrastructure between the two countries. This primarily means unblocking Armenia, but it’s important to note that efforts for large-scale unblocking based on commonly agreed principles also include establishing a connection between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan,” the foreign minister said.