Dear President,
Excellencies,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The main substance of speeches of all leaders of the Republic of Armenia from this rostrum has been dedicated to the conflict between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Such were also my speeches from 2018 to 2023.
Last year, speaking at the 79th session of the General Assembly, I tried for the first time to speak not about the conflict between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, but about peace. My speech was very cautious, very uncertain, although at that moment already, more than 12 kilometers of the Armenia-Azerbaijan interstate border had been demarcated for the first time, and the regulations on the joint activities of the demarcation commissions of the two countries had been signed by the deputy prime ministers of the two countries.
After my speech, pivotal events have occurred in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. First, the regulations on the joint activities of the demarcation commissions were ratified in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, receiving the highest legal force.
This is the first bilateral international document signed and ratified between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In it, the Alma Ata Declaration of December 21, 1991, is mentioned as the basic principle of border demarcation between the two countries, the demarcation of the interstate borders.
Thus, the optimistic processes of the preceding period continued over the past year.
In March of this year, Armenia and Azerbaijan were able to agree upon a draft agreement on establishing peace and interstate relations and to conclude the negotiations on the draft with such a positive outcome.
In that document, too, the parties, referring to the Alma Ata Declaration, confirm their understanding that the borders between the former Soviet Socialist Republics of the USSR have become the international borders of the respective independent states and, on this basis, they recognize and respect each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of international borders, and political independence.
As you have now seen, the reference to the Alma Ata Declaration means that both countries recognize that the territory of the Republic of Armenia is identical with the territory of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, and the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan is identical with the territory of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, and the borders encompassing these territories are inviolable.
The aforementioned agreement on the establishment of peace and interstate relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan was initialed on August 8 of this year in the US capital, Washington DC, at the White House, by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries, in the presence of the US President, the President of Azerbaijan, and myself.
The culmination of the meeting that took place at the White House on August 8 was the Declaration that we adopted as a result of the meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, and which was also signed as witness by US President Donald Trump.
That Declaration stated that Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize the need to chart a course for a bright future not bound by the conflict of the past, consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and the 1991 Almaty Declaration, and that after the conflict that brought immense human suffering, the conditions have finally been created for our nations to fully embark on building good neighborly relations on the basis of the inviolability of international borders and the inadmissibility of the use of force for the acquisition of territory.
The Declaration reads: "This reality, which is not and should never be subject to revision, paves the way for closing the chapter of enmity between our two nations. We resolutely reject and exclude any attempt of revenge, now and in the future."
In the same document, we, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, reaffirmed the importance of opening communications between our two countries for intra-state, bilateral and international transportation, for the promotion of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and its neighborhood on the basis of respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction of the States.
As I indicated earlier, these efforts are to include unimpeded connectivity between the main part of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic through the territory of the Republic of Armenia, with reciprocal benefits for international and intra-state connectivity for the Republic of Armenia.
It was also noted that the Republic of Armenia will work with the United States of America and mutually determined third parties to set forth a framework for the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) connectivity project in the territory of the Republic of Armenia.
We confirmed our determination to pursue efforts in good faith to achieve this goal in the most expeditious manner.
