Armenian PM comments on Aliyev's threats: Baku is trying to "legitimize" the escalation
YEREVAN, January 8. /ARKA/. Baku may be trying to "legitimize" the escalation in the region. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said this in an interview with Armenpress news agency, commenting on the latest aggressive statements by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Yesterday, Aliyev made several statements regarding Armenia in an interview with various local media outlets. In particular, he stated that a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani commissions on border demarcation would be held by the end of January, noted that the so-called "Zangezur corridor" would be opened, and also called Armenia a "fascist state," claiming that "this fascism will be destroyed either by the Armenian leadership or by us." He also emphasized that Azerbaijan wants peace and cooperation in the South Caucasus, and that "Armenia should not interfere with us, should not be a geopolitical barrier between Turkey and Azerbaijan." Aliyev demanded that Armenia stop arming itself, and that any weapons already supplied to the country be returned. He further stated that without the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group and amendments to Armenia's Constitution, a peace treaty would be impossible.
"Aggressive statements are being made with the expectation that Yerevan will react aggressively. This would allow Baku to make its own statements even more aggressive, combining them with the dissemination of false information about ceasefire violations by the Armenian army to create a 'justification' for a new escalation in the region," Pashinyan said.
He stated that Armenia would not follow this path and would adhere to a peace strategy, continuing to implement its peace agenda consistently.
"This means that we will not use the language of aggression, but the language of dialogue. We will continue to focus on demarcation, agreeing on the text of the peace treaty, implementing the “Crossroads of Peace” project, addressing humanitarian issues, including the problem of clarifying the fate of missing persons," he said.
Regarding the statements that Armenia is allegedly a fascist state, the Prime Minister responded that, firstly, the goal is to provoke a response in the spirit of "you are a fascist yourself," and secondly, that this is how Azerbaijan perceives Armenia. "We will try to understand why and what the reason is," he added.
"The peace agenda is aimed at eliminating these perceptions. Some of the agreed articles in the peace treaty “turn the page” on some of these perceptions. Other parts give us the opportunity to make all mutual negative perceptions part of the bilateral agenda and eliminate them. I will also add that we have proposed solutions for two uncoordinated articles of the peace treaty, and are ready to sign the agreement if Azerbaijan responds positively," Pashinyan said.
Addressing the so-called "Zangezur Corridor," he stated that Armenia has proposed the "Crossroads of Peace" project and is preparing to implement it.
"There is no other project on our agenda. “Crossroads of Peace” involves the opening of all transport communications in the region, including Azerbaijan-Azerbaijan through Armenia and Armenia-Armenia through Azerbaijan. I have already stated that we have made a very specific proposal to Azerbaijan to open the Yeraskh-Sadarak-Ordubad-Meghri-Zangelan railway. This is more than a proposal; it is a concrete solution to specific issues, and we are waiting for a positive reaction from Azerbaijan. After that, the agreement will be finalized, and we will begin construction of our sections of the railway," he said.
At the same time, Pashinyan did not comment on the statements regarding the so-called "Western Azerbaijan."
The Prime Minister reiterated that Armenia does not aim to reclaim over 200 square kilometers of territories occupied by Azerbaijan through military means. In response to concerns about arms procurement, Baku was offered to establish a mutual arms control mechanism.
"We also have concerns about Azerbaijan's armament, and we have also heard their concerns," he said.
In this context, Pashinyan emphasized that the information about the Armenian army violating the ceasefire is false.
"To prevent such situations from becoming a reason for periodic debates, we proposed creating a joint mechanism to jointly verify all signals about ceasefire violations and come to common conclusions. We are waiting for Azerbaijan's response," he emphasized.
Pashinyan confirmed that the next meeting of the commissions on the demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border will take place in January.
"I am confident that the positive experience of demarcation in 2024 should continue to develop in a calm, working environment. We are committed to such work," he said.
