In February 2025, “The actual territory of RA It is not 29,743 sq.m. or, the army does not have the right to enter internationally recognized 200 square meters RA sovereign territory. Pashinyan’s confession and the illegal order” according to our article in the article we referred to Nikol Pashinyan, “All prerequisites for peace are present” to the article where he, in particular, noted.

“I have stated several times that even those territories of more than 200 square kilometers that are an integral part of the internationally recognized sovereign territory of RA of 29,743 square kilometers, that are currently under the occupation of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia does not pose the problem of returning them by military means, because the above-mentioned regulation has already solved that issue in principle and there is a real and objective possibility to solve it practically in the demarcation process”.

In other words, with the occupied 200 square kilometers, the territorial integrity of RA is 29,743 square kilometers?

We have repeatedly raised the question in our publications, when Pashinyan says that the sovereign and internationally recognized territory of RA is 29,743 square kilometers, does that also take into account the more than 200 square kilometers occupied by Azerbaijan, because both the positive and negative answers to this question will give important clues. And, in fact, in his above-mentioned article, Pashinyan essentially confirms the “legitimacy” and justification of our questioning.

Moreover, we have repeatedly expressed doubt that it will be possible to return the entire occupied 200 sq km territory through political means, especially when at some point and on some occasions Pashinyan began to question the Armenianness of certain areas or their belonging to Armenia. We still do not mention the fact that permission was not given to counter the Azerbaijani advances, perhaps: is a ban was In particular, we are talking about the invasion of the armed forces of Azerbaijan into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia in May 2021.

And Aliyev, in response to Pashinyan’s initial proposals to withdraw the troops, did not hide that he was not going to withdraw the troops from the RA territories. Why, that question has been asked many times in the last 5 years we referred to: writing that they have established control over the most important heights, with which they solve important strategic, military, political, water problems.

And Nikol Pashinyan announced to this clear decision of Aliyev, in the context of the demarcation and demarcation process in the Tavush sector.

«We are ready not for them to go back and just sign, but to sign and just go back, we and they too, but it should be written and signed in such a way that it does not give rise to misinterpretation.:

What exactly happened in Tavush with the “pilot” demarcation and demarcation and what is still to come expected here with the second stage of the process and elsewhere as a result of the process of adjusting borders and handing over “enclaves”, we can both assume and make claims.

And in this regard, difficult times are ahead, which was confirmed by the latest statements of the country’s military-political and political leadership.

First, on June 9, the head of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces Edward Asryan with journalists in conversation Referring to the demarcation and demarcation process, he tried to convince that the territory of RA is 29,743 square kilometers, then he continued.

“Not an inch of ground will be surrendered. If these enclaves are included in the 29,743 sq km of RA, not a millimeter of land will be surrendered.”

In other words, the Head of the General Staff indirectly confirms that the “enclaves” will be surrendered.

After that, on July 9, during a briefing with journalists, Nikol Pashinyan, in fact, confirms The intention to surrender Tigranashen. Moreover, he makes a very dangerous formulation, legitimizing the Azerbaijani invasion of Jermuk and Baku’s “rights” there.

“During the demarcation, these issues should be settled, because the maps with which we are demarcating, those areas are expressed in those maps. We will not be able to cut that map with scissors and say: this part is expressed or not. If we take the scissors and cut the map, Azerbaijan will cut the parts of Jermuk, Berkaber of Tavush, and so on.” said Pashinyan.

In this context, it is worth reminding that in January 2024, at the meeting with the Azerbaijani media, Aliyev had announced. 

“They accuse us of intending to attack Armenia. I have already talked about this, but once again I want to say completely honestly: if we wanted, we would have entered and gone to the end.

In front of us was the city of Jermuk, our former city, whose real name is Istisu. Who would stop us? We had no such intention. Our goal was to protect our borders. We should have such heights in our hands that we could see with our own eyes what the Armenians are planning.

One of my western guests told me during the conversation: “You have a satellite, don’t you? You can see it all from the satellite,” I replied, “my satellite is my eyes.”

I have to see with my own eyes. The satellite is a device, it can go out of order, or you will turn it off, it is in your hands. We didn’t do anything wrong, that’s the main thing, the main factor.”

In other words, Aliyev is of the position that the end justifies the means, and the goal is the security of one’s own borders and the establishment of visual control over the Armenian army. Aliyev is even on trial in Baku to try find a justification for Armenia in 2022. for the September attack.

168.amyears ago wrote What issues did Pashinyan and Aliyev solve with the September battles?

In any case, let’s go back to Pashinyan’s last statement and “Henaket” Analytical Center expert Shiraz Let’s try to find out in the conversation with Khachatryan: what does it suggest, what rights can Azerbaijan have in the Jermuk region, which the Armenian side is allegedly trying to restrain, when they are already “sitting on the head” of Jermuk?

– First of all, it is ungrateful and illogical to analyze any of Pashinyan’s words or to make conclusions and assessments based on them. But the fact is that for several years he himself claimed and declared that the issue of enclaves has no legal basis, that such an issue simply does not exist, and now he makes completely different comments.

We can talk endlessly about demarcations, demarcations and the possible risks arising from them, but one thing is clear: from November 9, 2020 until today, during the entire process, Armenia has only and only given way, both on the military and diplomatic fronts. Everything else is purely a matter of interpretation.

I am not at all surprised by Pashinyan’s statement that “we cannot cut the map with scissors”. The irony is that Aliyev is good at it and has been doing just that for so long, successfully cutting our borders.

There is not a region of demarcation or a border zone in the areas indicated by him, which has been resolved in our favor.

His latest statement regarding Jermuk does not surprise me either, Nikol always prepares the ground in advance in order to “cover up” his successive failures. Show at least one process where Armenia did not concede. Now, in fact, the new act of ceding the “enclaves” begins.

And in general, another irony is the fact that when talking about border divisions at the state level, Pashinyan gives an example of the Azerbaijani coin as an argument. This is exactly what can be limited, this is the ideas of these people regarding serious political processes.

– In any case, can you objectively address the security risks of all this, including the Jermuk sector?

– If the topic of handing over the territories of Tavush and Tigranashen has been discussed many times in the context of how it paralyzes the interstate roads of Armenia, then not going with the Azerbaijani troops from the heights of Jermuk and strengthening there contains serious strategic risks of cutting Syunik from the “neck” of the country.

Instead of raising this issue on the public and diplomatic agendas and promoting negotiations in this direction as a priority, the opposite is happening, which essentially prepares the ground for keeping Vayots Dzor and Syunik under constant high risk.

This reality creates several serious threats that are interconnected. First, the deepening of the enemy in the narrowest part from the heights of Jermuk to the border of Nakhichevan creates a permanent strike corridor, which in case of any escalation makes it possible to divide the country into two parts, isolating Syunik from the center.

In addition, just as the problem in Tavush or Ararat is the vulnerability of the interstate roads, the junctions of the Vaik-Sisian highway and the vital water and energy sources of the region are under the enemy’s direct fire from the positions of Jermuk.

At the same time, bringing the topic of Tavush or “enclaves” to the fore, the Azerbaijani side is successfully diverting international attention from the occupation of the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia, where an actual attempt is made to form a “new border” with the fortification works being carried out on the spot.

And Pashinyan threads that thread.

Ultimately, this constant jeopardy of the southern rear and communication routes purposefully weakens Armenia’s resilience and negotiating position in the larger geopolitical struggle over the transportation routes through Syunik.

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