Armenia sets conditions for concession of disputed regions to Azerbaijan

Armenia's Prime Minister is ready to recognize the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region as part of Azerbaijan's sovereignty , provided the security of ethnic Armenians is guaranteed.

"If the two sides understand each other, Armenia will recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan according to the established boundaries with a total area of ​​86,600 square kilometers, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In return, they will recognize our territory of 29,800 square kilometers," Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said today.

However, Mr. Pashinyan affirmed that this move would only be made if Azerbaijan guaranteed the rights and security of ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, saying that this issue should be discussed in bilateral negotiations.

The Azerbaijani flag flies near a village in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2020. Photo: RIA Novosti

"We remain committed to peace in the region and hope to reach a written agreement and sign a peace treaty in the near future," the Armenian prime minister said.

Azerbaijani officials have not commented on the information.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought two wars in the 1990s and 2020 over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been separated from Azerbaijan since pro-Armenian separatists took control of the region following a war in the early 1990s.

The six-week war between the two sides in the fall of 2020 left more than 6,500 people dead and allowed Azerbaijan to reclaim some territory from the separatists. The conflict ended with a ceasefire brokered by Russia.

Under the agreement, Russia deployed peacekeepers to monitor the situation, but tensions persisted as both sides repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire. In September 2022, Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of attacking military targets across the border, killing nearly 100 soldiers.

Location of the Lachin Corridor connecting Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Graphic: Guardian

A group of Azerbaijanis have been blocking the Lachin corridor, the only road into Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia, since December 2022 to protest what they say is illegal mining that is destroying the environment and leaving the region of about 120,000 people short of food, medicine and fuel.

Armenia accused Azerbaijan of "exerting economic and psychological pressure to provoke the exodus of Armenians" from Nagorno-Karabakh, describing it as "ethnic cleansing". Baku denied the accusations, saying Russian peacekeepers and the Red Cross were ensuring civilian supplies were delivered to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Vu Anh (According to TASS, Reuters )

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