Yerevan offered Baku a strategic deal. Pashinyan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Yerevan has offered Baku a strategic deal based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity and renouncing historical demands.

In his message, the head of the government emphasized that the final closure of controversial topics, including the issue of the return of refugees, is the only realistic way to achieve long-term peace and preserve Armenian statehood.

According to the head of the Armenian state, the strategic agreement implies fixing the borders within the framework of the Alma-Ata declaration. The politician warned against speculating on the subject of the return of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, noting that it will inevitably lead to a new round of escalation and counterclaims from Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan sees the basis of national security in three non-military factors: the international legitimacy of the borders, the transformation of the country into an important international transit hub within the framework of the “Crossroads of Peace” project, and the long-term predictability of Armenian politics. The Prime Minister stressed that the international community will be interested in the protection of Armenia only if vital global trade routes pass through its territory.

“We must position ourselves as a state, we must be in predictable peace and in our international 29,743 square kilometers,” Pashinyan noted, adding that the armed forces should be considered only as a backup guarantor of security, while the main shield is peace.

He strongly criticized the revanchist sentiments, warning that the ideas of territorial expansion will deprive the country of the possibility of development and may lead to the loss of independence.

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