The Guardian: Lewis Baston ahsked Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan: "Thank you Mr. Prime Minister. I have just recently written a book about borders. My interest is about the displaced people formally inhabiting Nagorno Karabakh, who are settled in the Republic of Armenia. The short-term policy, as I understand, is to help with housing, education, work. This raises the question about the longer-term future of these people. Do you see the right to return as part of the comprehensive settlement, or is this chapter closed and the Armenian society will grow together within its current borders with the people formerly residing in Nagorno Karabakh?"
Pashinyan answered:
"Our policy is as follows: if our sisters and brothers forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh realistically have no possibility or desire to go back to Nagorno Karabakh, then we will do our best for them to stay in the Republic of Armenia. I also wish to inform you that recently, during one of my visits to the regions of Armenia, I was approached by a woman who was forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh, and she asked me how realistic is that they will have a possibility to go back to Nagorno Karabakh and she asked me to give her a direct and sincere answer.
I told her that I will give a direct and sincere answer. In the current situation, given the perceptions that prevail in our region, and the perceptions that prevail in Azerbaijan, and the perceptions that prevail among the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, with all these perceptions, I do not consider it realistic. And I said that I cannot lie to her, because if it were realistic, then the displacement from Nagorno Karabakh would not have happened.
Additionally though, the Government of the Republic of Armenia has done its best and in the final days of September 2023 we were accused of allegedly, this was not the case of course, and that accusation came in part from those in power in Nagorno Karabakh, allegedly of not allowing the people of Nagorno Karabakh to find salvation by moving to the Republic of Armenia.
At that time, here is what we were thinking: we wanted to do our best to create conditions, as far as we were concerned, because understandably this decision was not only up to us, to do our best to ensure that the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of the people of Nagorno Karabakh did not happen. But our efforts were in vain.
And quite the opposite, there were some forces that under those circumstances wanted to draw the Republic of Armenia into war, having their far-reaching goals. Going back to the questions answered earlier, one thing I told you was that the Republic of Armenia is not preparing to fight a war for Nagorno Karabakh. I told that the Republic of Armenia has no aspirations beyond its international recognized borders. And we hope that in the border delimitation process the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia will be restored.
By the way, with the decisions being taken already today in the border delimitation process we have already demonstrated that we are candid. We have demonstrated that we are sincere because one thing we did was that we noted that the Government of Armenia is ready to take steps within its powers so that in those 4 Azerbaijani villages, which are Kizilhajili, Kheyrumli, Ashagh Askipara, Baghanis-Ayrum, where no people currently live, life becomes possible, making it possible for them to live there.
But we are also stating that as a result of that same process, it should become just as possible for people to live a life free of stress in Baghanis, Voskepar, Kirants and Berkaber villages of the Republic of Armenia, for people to live in their homes, create family and have children without concerns for security.
But that’s the tis is the point on which the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan need to convert the theoretical peace agenda into a concrete peaceful reality. It’s true, this is a local section on which we have agreed, but the quality of implementation of these local agreements will increase or decrease trust in the peace agenda and feasibility of peace.
I believe it will increase trust in peace among the Armenian and Azerbaijani societies and will build up a stock of confidence. Let’s agree that there is a profound lack of confident. And I want to say words of praise to the members of the border delimitation commissions and for the work done by the two co-chairs, who have tried to build trust and confidence molecule by molecule. And if treated delicately and with care, it can develop, and if not treated with care, it may fall apart. These commissions are led by the Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan and Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev."
