By Paul Vartan Sookiasian
The 2nd annual Yerevan Dialogue international forum began Monday with a hopeful address from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the possibility and benefits of a normalization deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan declared that “sustainable and lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not only possible, but within reach” during a comprehensive update on the current status of the talks. Negotiations over a draft agreement were completed in March, and Armenia immediately indicated its willingness to sign it. However, Azerbaijan has delayed the process by attaching two additional preconditions: the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, established in 1992 to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and a demand that Armenia amend its constitution, which would require a nationwide referendum.
Pashinyan said dissolving the Minsk Group is acceptable to Armenia, “as long as Azerbaijan’s intention for doing so is not to export the conflict onto Armenian territory,” pointing to Baku’s rhetoric in recent years calling large parts of Armenia “Western Azerbaijan.” He refuted accusations from Baku that Armenia’s constitution has claims on Azerbaijan, citing a ruling of the Armenian Constitutional Court last September to that effect.
He acknowledged that neighbors must not have territorial claims against each other and argued that this concern would best be addressed by swiftly signing the agreement. The agreement reaffirms mutual recognition of territorial integrity and a commitment not to make territorial claims in the future. Pashinyan proposed that both sides sign the finalized agreement alongside an application to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group. He noted that while Armenia also has concerns about territorial claims in Azerbaijan’s constitution, it has not raised the issue separately, as the agreement would settle those concerns.
“When ratified, that document will acquire the highest legal force in Armenia,” Pashinyan said. “That is very important news, because it means that the peace agreement will solve all the concerns that Azerbaijan may have and now has. So it is obvious that the way to address the issues raised by Azerbaijan is to sign the agreement rather than not to sign it.”
As an example of progress already made, Pashinyan showed a video of demarcated and fenced sections of the border with Azerbaijan in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush region. These areas have been demilitarized and are now manned only by border guards from each side.
Pashinyan also promoted Armenia’s strategic position through his “Crossroads of Peace” initiative, aimed at opening communication and transport links throughout the South Caucasus. He called it “a very important project for overcoming the global supply chain crisis, because when our roads with Azerbaijan and Turkey are open, it will provide another opportunity for connectivity between east and west, north and south.”
However, he noted hesitations from Azerbaijan in implementing the plan. Armenia continues to focus on how to make progress, including by offering to organize cargo transportation between Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan exclave. Azerbaijan instead demands a sovereign corridor through Armenian territory outside Yerevan’s control for the movement of goods and people. Pashinyan reiterated that all transit links must respect each country’s territorial integrity and be reciprocal, so that if a connection is established between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan, there should be a corresponding one between northern Armenia and Syunik through Nakhichevan.
Pashinyan was preceded by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who addressed the conference theme of “navigating the unknown.” He described the challenges of “living in this age of uncertainty,” but emphasized that “Armenia’s vision is clear: normalization of relations with our two neighbors with full respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and unconditional renunciation of territorial claims by either side.
These speeches were followed by an address from Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, a prominent Eurosceptic within the European Union, who is visiting Armenia for the first time. Fico called Armenia Slovakia’s key trading partner in the region, and added that he wants to “give an additional impetus for expanding our trade, especially in the areas of nuclear energy, automotive, defense, and tourism.”
Fico said he also supports closer ties between Armenia and the EU along with the presence of the EU’s observation mission in Armenia, which Baku has demanded must leave. According to Fico, “a peaceful settlement [with Azerbaijan] will send a powerful message to Europe that conflicts can be resolved through diplomatic dialogue.”
The Yerevan Dialogue conference continues through Tuesday.
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