Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, says his country is willing to recognise Nagorno-Karabakh – operating as a breakaway Republic under heavy Armenian influence since the early 1990s – as part of Azerbaijan if Baku guarantees the security of its ethnic Armenian population. The announcement has caused widespread consternation in Nagorno-Karabakh, self described as the Republic of Artsakh. Representatives of its government called such a change “unacceptable”.
In addition, Pashinyan told the press he was considering withdrawing from the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation, which would be a blow to Russian foreign policy.
Regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, Pashinyan seems to be willing to establish a reciprocal recognition of territorial integrity between his country and Azerbaijan. The principle of territorial integrity in international law means that one state will not invade and occupy the territory of another state.
The Armenian prime minister was quoted as saying he was prepared to do so if the rights of the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh were guaranteed. He said the issue should be discussed in talks between the two countries.
“Armenia remains committed to the peace agenda in the region. And we hope that in the near future, we will come to an agreement on the text of the peace treaty and be able to sign it,” he said, according to TASS.
He called for international guarantees of security and respect for the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, expressing concern that Azerbaijan might otherwise continue to carry out alleged ethnic cleansing in the region.
Pashinyan also said he might consider leaving the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, led by Moscow, due to dissatisfaction regarding insufficient backing for Armenia from Russia.
Frustration in the Armenian capital Yerevan has been mounting due to what it perceives as Russia’s inability to safeguard Armenia against military threats posed by Azerbaijan.
Armenian opposition forces plan street protests against Pashinyan’s stated intentions. MP Ishkhan Saghatelyan said the public has no other choice than to rebel against the current government.
Serzh Sargsyan, former President of the Republic of Artsakh, said a recognition of the region as part of Azerbaijan was “simply incomprehensible, if not insulting”. Artak Beglaryan, Adviser to the State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh, claimed it would be in violation of the right of self-determination for the people of Artsakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a breakaway region of Azerbaijan populated by ethnic Armenians. The self-declared Republic of Artsakh, a presidential democracy, is heavily reliant upon Armenia. The landlocked enclave has been a source of contention and dispute since the fall of the Soviet Union, with both Armenia and Azerbaijan claiming sovereignty over the territory.
In an armed conflict in September 2020, Azerbaijan captured a significant amount of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories. Russia, which had traditionally been an active ally of Armenia, did not intervene, much to the outrage of Armenian officials.
Earlier this month, after a meeting in Washington, there were peace talks in Brussels between Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, hosted by the European Council President Charles Michel.
Elsewhere, Aliyev said on Tuesday that Azerbaijan, which has grown in importance as an exporter of gas to the EU due to Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, will significantly increase supplies to Europe.
