UPDATE - Armenia’s premier says Yerevan ready to sign peace deal with Azerbaijan by November

UPDATES WITH FURTHER REMARKS BY ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday that Yerevan is ready to sign a peace deal with neighboring Azerbaijan by November.

“I agree with the idea of signing a peace agreement by November, and for this to happen, all agreed-upon principles must be enshrined in the agreement,” Pashinyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

Pashinyan further said he hopes that progress will be made in this regard at the upcoming meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Kazakhstan.

On Monday, Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Aybek Smadiyarov confirmed during a press briefing in the capital Astana that Azerbaijan and Armenia’s top diplomats will hold talks on a peace deal on May 10 in the city of Almaty.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have remained tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and the demarcation of their border.

Last September, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh following an "anti-terrorist operation" after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.

- Border pillars are security guarantees

Pashinyan further commented on the ongoing demarcation work between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying that the border pillars being installed on the border between the two countries are security guarantees for Yerevan.

"Why did we take the path of establishing border pillars? Because we believe that they are established legally and become a guarantee of security for Armenia. We must create security guarantees. And these border pillars are this guarantee. They are established to exclude the possibility of a new war between countries," he said.

Expressing that work on delimitation with Azerbaijan in the Tavush region is 90% complete, Pashinyan said he will not stop the delimitation process with Baku despite the demands of the Armenian opposition.

"If I comply with the demands ... and give the order to stop delimitation, what will happen? The war will begin. And this war will not be illegitimate in some sense," he further said.

He also rejected discussions on his resignation amid protests held by the opposition, indicating that he has resigned "more than once" and that his constant resignation is "no longer serious.”

Pashinyan went on to say that the "system of security guarantees" around Armenia is not working and only the "establishment of peace" can ensure his country's security.

“Since the system of security guarantees around Armenia is not working, I believe that we need to reconsider our national security doctrine. This process is underway at the working level,” he added.

- Accumulated problems with Russia

About his country's relations with Russia, Pashinyan said there are "many accumulated problems," some of which have been voiced.

"They were voiced in order to eliminate negative nuances, based on the context of friendly relations between Armenia and Russia. There are problems, and Yerevan is focused on solving them," he said.

Armenia's premier further said the broadcasting of Russian television channels in the country will be stopped should they disrespect Yerevan's internal affairs.

Armenia is an independent state and will not seek anyone's permission about with whom to develop relations, Pashinyan told a news conference, answering a question on the development of relations with the EU.

He added that Armenia's position with regard to its region involves deepening relations with Iran and Georgia, and ending hostilities with Türkiye and Azerbaijan.