On January 23, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan delivered remarks at the panel discussion “Together for Peace and Democracy,” held within the framework of the visit of the Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the Parliaments of Northern European and Baltic states to Armenia.
The full text of the speech of Minister Mirzoyan is presented below.
“Honorable President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Simonyan, esteemed Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Parliaments, distinguished guests, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I warmly welcome you in Armenia. I assume you were expecting, or perhaps were even promised, that you would see more sunshine in the sky of Armenia during these days. I am not sure whether we can meet those expectations, but I can assure you that when it comes to political promises, the principles of democracy, human rights, freedom of speech and the defense of democracy worldwide, we are far more reliable.
It was only a month ago that I participated in a ministerial meeting held in Malta between the Republic of Armenia and the Nordic-Baltic countries, organized at my request with the assistance of your foreign ministers. Now I have the privilege to share my thoughts within the framework of this very important discussion, on the occasion of the visit of the Speakers of Parliaments of the Nordic-Baltic countries or their representatives to my country.
I would like to once again reassure you that we are committed to seeking and finding new opportunities aimed at deepening cooperation between our countries.
Ladies and gentlemen, switching to Armenian, I would like to elaborate on the reasons why Armenia is particularly interested in significantly deepening its cooperation with the Nordic-Baltic countries. These reasons are very transparent, very clear, some might even see them as seeking benefits for ourselves. Yet, they are as follows. In my profound conviction, the Nordic-Baltic countries are among those nations where democratic institutions are the strongest, most institutionalized, protected and well-established, where human rights are best safeguarded and where societies firmly uphold the values of democracy and freedom. These are countries whose societies understand the dangers and risks that global democracy faces today. This is one dimension. The second dimension is that the Nordic-Baltic countries represent one of the finest examples of regional partnership and cooperation for us. In these two respects, we have much to learn and, I hope, we can somehow contribute as well.
Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know how your discussions today will proceed, what direction they will take, whether they will be theoretical debates on peace and democracy, or practical analyses of specific cases and manifestations, using Armenia, the South Caucasus, or other regions as examples. However, before your discussions begin, I would like to very briefly share my perspective on what Armenia is today.
First and foremost, Armenia today is a democracy. Secondly, it is an inexperienced democracy, undoubtedly facing numerous challenges, mistakes, and standing in a long path of learning from its own mistakes, but a democracy nonetheless. It is a society that has definitively proven its commitment to democracy. Paradoxically, while Armenia was striving to defend democracy, it was democracy itself that came to Armenia’s defense. I should bring the example of 2021. Following the 2020 war, when Armenia found itself in an internal political crisis, which saw external influences as well, a failed attempt at a military coup, and other disruptions, the Government of Armenia decided to hold snap parliamentary elections. This was a direct use of the fundamental tool of democracy: elections. In those elections, the political team I represent, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, presented the Armenian public with two main proposals: democracy and peace. Judging by the election results, we can confidently say that the citizens of the Republic of Armenia overwhelmingly, unequivocally chose democracy and peace, as is fitting with the principles of democracy which was not challenged anyhow.
Many would agree with me that, in the case of democracy, things are somewhat simpler. Democracy depends on you, it is your dialogue with yourself, within your society. Peace, however, is different. Peace requires engagement with your neighbor and you cannot build peace alone. You can try very hard, but peace is unattainable unless you manage to convince or find common ground with your neighbor to build peace together. And this is exactly where we are now.
I promised to explain what Armenia is today, that is - democracy and the pursuit of peace. We are working to normalize our relations with our immediate neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan. I can state outright, this is a public fact, that with our western neighbor, Turkey, with whom we have had a closed border for over 30 years, we now have a rather active dialogue. We share certain common understandings that more open borders and more direct cooperation could benefit Turkey, Armenia and the other countries of the region. Here we have active and results-oriented dialogue, though, regrettably, we don’t see very strong and tangible outcomes on the ground. With Azerbaijan, we have been engaged in negotiations for several years. These negotiations are ongoing and include several directions. One of them was demonstrated in the video you watched. We propose opening borders and restarting, first and foremost, railway connections, creating opportunities for trade. This is not only for Armenia and Azerbaijan but also for all countries stretching from east to west.
Another direction, of course, is the delimitation of borders. Here, I would like to emphasize the crucial importance of the launched delimitation process, a process based on the Alma-Ata Declaration. To briefly explain, this is a document agreed upon by the former Soviet republics after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in which they recognized each other’s territorial integrity and the borders that existed between them at the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Essentially, this means that the delimitation process will primarily involve restoring and reproducing the borders as they existed at the moment of the collapse of the Soviet Union. I believe this is a key achievement, especially in our times when we are witnessing chaotic processes that grossly violate international law, global norms, and, first of all, territorial integrity.
There is a third direction, which I would say complements the others: the peace treaty. We have worked long and hard with Azerbaijan to reach an agreed text for the peace treaty. At this stage, I can say that we have 15 agreed-upon articles out of 17 under discussion. On the one hand, we could say that the majority of the work is done, with only two articles left to agree upon. On the other hand, the agreement on these articles could still take considerable time. The solution lies in one thing: the demonstration of political will by both countries. With the necessary political will, I can assure you that completing the text will take very short time. On our part, that political will exists.
Prime Minister Pashinyan has repeatedly expressed the readiness of the Republic of Armenia to finalize and sign the treaty as soon as possible, or if you prefer, immediately. Unfortunately, I cannot say that we observe the same constructive approach and willingness from our neighbors. However, this is a process with no alternative. Even the challenges we face in negotiations and the lack of constructiveness which we often feel from our neighbors, cannot and will not discourage us. Just like democracy and freedom, peace has no alternative. Just know that in the face of the Republic of Armenia, you have a partner who deeply believes in democracy, deeply believes in peace, and has not ceased and will not cease to do everything possible, take all possible steps so that in the South Caucasus, here in our small corner of the world, we have a peaceful and democratic haven.
Thank you. I must, of course, admit that I did not keep my promise to deliver short remarks, my apologies. I wish you a fruitful discussion”.
