Armenia cheated itself and Karabakh by raising self-determination issue - Pashinyan

Baku/18.04.23/Turan: After the 44-day war in Karabakh, Azerbaijan is in "euphoria" and seeks more. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this on Tuesday, speaking in the country's parliament.

According to him, the international situation contributes to this, as Azerbaijan has become an energy or logistics crossroad, and its importance has increased for both Russia and the Western countries, Pashinyan said.

He noted that he sincerely aspires to conclude a peace treaty with Azerbaijan as soon as possible. This treaty will become realistic if the two countries mutually recognize each other's territorial integrity and undertake not to raise territorial claims against each other. In fact, this was the agreement with the Azerbaijani President in Sochi and Prague, he added.

"I want to confirm that Armenia recognises Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and we expect Azerbaijan to do the same, recognising the entire territory of the Armenian SSR as the Republic of Armenia," Sputnik Armenia" quoted Pashinyan as saying.

Yerevan suggested that maps of the Armenian and Azerbaijani SSR drawn in the Soviet Union be attached to the future peace treaty as a basis for the territorial integrity of the countries. However, the most difficult issue here is Nagorno-Karabakh, he said.

According to the premier, throughout the Karabakh conflict the principles of the right to self-determination and territorial integrity "stood side by side".

If the issue of self-determination is raised, it implies "a part of the territory". This is a philosophy that the Armenian side has not only created but also "cemented" in every possible way, deceiving itself and the people of Nagorno Karabakh, Pashinyan said.

Peace for Armenia and the region will come when the international community clearly declares the recognition of Armenia's 29,800 square kilometers of territory, and the latter declares that it has no territorial claims against any country, he continued.

If this is not done, Pashinyan said, no one will allow Armenia to develop. Achieving peace means having normal relations with the four neighbouring countries. In case of Georgia and Iran it's about further deepening of cooperation, accordingly, it's more about normalization of relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Pashinyan noted. -02D-