Armenia offered Azerbaijan to sign non-aggression pact - Pashinyan
YEREVAN, January 29. /ARKA/. Speaking Sunday at an event marking the 32nd anniversary of Armenian Army PM Nikol Pashinyan referred to some aggressive statements coming from different sides, in particular from Azerbaijan, concerning the reforms of the Armenia's army, the acquisition of weapons and equipment.
Pashinyan reiterated that having a strong and capable army is the sovereign right of every country and no one can question our right.
'If anyone questions that right of ours, they question our right to exist. In this case, we will have no choice but to defend our statehood, our independence, our territorial integrity by all possible and impossible means,' Pashinyan was quoted as saying by his press office.
Pashinyan also reiterated that 'the Republic of Armenia has no claim to any territory other than its sovereign territory and no one should have any claim to any territory of the Republic of Armenia. As I said, we are ready to give such guarantees, lasting and irreversible guarantees, but we expect similar guarantees from others.'
Pashinyan said also that Rmenia is ready to go that way and has offered several additional security guarantee mechanisms to Azerbaijan. For example, a simultaneous withdrawal of troops from the administrative border of the Armenian SSR and the Azerbaijani SSR, which became a state border with the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, and Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on October 6, 2022 in Prague that they recognize each other's territorial integrity on that basis.
He said the simultaneous withdrawal of troops will make it possible for all the territories of the Azerbaijan SSR to be under the control of Azerbaijan, and all the territories of the Armenian SSR under the control of Armenia.
'We have also offered demilitarization of the border to Azerbaijan. Also a mutual arms control mechanism, also the signing of a non-aggression pact if it turns out that signing a peace treaty will take longer than expected. The Republic of Armenia is committed to the peace agenda and will not deviate from that agenda.' Pashinyan said.-0-
