Let's record what Armenia is, so that, based on that, we can clearly formulate where and how Azerbaijan has territorial claims to RA, and where, in fact, it does not have or possibly does not have territorial claims against RA. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the press conference, presenting a visual answer to the question of what is the RA border in the form of a map. Artsvashen (occupied by Azerbaijan) is also represented on the map.
"This picture that I showed is not just a picture, this is the de jure fixed territory of the Republic of Armenia, moreover, not only internationally recognized, but also recorded by the decisions of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and other state bodies, because every year or from time to time, and this happened both before the revolution and after the revolution, the Government of the Republic of Armenia approves the land balance of Armenia, which essentially describes the territory of Armenia, and in this context this record is important," he said.
Referring to the discussions that RA is allegedly going to hand over villages in the Tavush region to Azerbaijan, Nikol Pashinyan replied: "There was never any discussion and there can be no question about handing over any village of Tavush marz. ...When names of villages are mentioned in the Azerbaijani press, there have never been villages with such names in the territory of RA. There have never been villages with such names in the territory of Armenia, and not only in Soviet times, but also after Soviet times," he said.
Pashinyan also reminded that the de jure border that existed at the time of the collapse of the USSR was reaffirmed by the Alma-Ata Declaration and the agreements held in Prague on October 6, 2022, and that the Alma-Ata Declaration became the basis for recognizing borders and mutual territorial integrity.
"In this process of delimitation we have to work on reproducing that border in some format, and now in this process we have to record that we have to leave the de jure reality; what is Armenia is Armenia, what is not Armenia is not Armenia, what is Azerbaijan is Azerbaijan," he said.
Pashinyan reminded that there are views on how the delimitation should be done, but he also mentioned that he never ruled out that the delimitation should start from Tavush region.
"In the negotiation processes, there was sometimes the impression that we can, taking into account certain realities, after the restoration of this border line of the territories or at the same time, make certain exchanges of territories in the sense that although the de jure border is here, but de facto, taking into account the realities, some changes to make. But I see that such opportunities are not great, or it can deform the process and bring additional risks, and therefore I think that in the near future we should also take actions with the following logic: let's look at where, for example, our communications are outside the de jure borders based on these agreements, and reconstruct those sections so that all RA communications pass through all the de jure territory of RA, so that we don't have problems in that area," he said. Pashinyan noted that in the near future he will visit the Tavush marz to learn about possible problems there.
Pashinyan also emphasized that there are no decisions in this regard as of now, but he also mentioned that RA's position is that one more key and important component should be added in terms of ensuring RA's security, that is, the component of legitimacy.
"With that logic, I think we should go for solutions and record and recognize the de jure borders of RA and place the de facto actions within the de jure borders", said the Prime Minister, noting that RA should also show interest in demarcation and get the demarcation process off the ground, while ensuring the legal basis for the process, the resolution of functional issues and security.
