The government of Armenia has announced that it’s willing to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory if its neighbors in Baku issue guarantees that the ethnic Armenian population in the disputed enclave have their rights and safety respected.
At a Monday conference, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan seemed to agree that the territory of Azerbaijan consists of 86,600 square kilometers — a total which includes the region in question.
“If we and Azerbaijan understand each other correctly, Armenia will recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within the named limits, while Baku will recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia within the area of 29,800 sq km,” he added.
But the prime minister insisted that “at the same time, we say that the issue of the rights and safety of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh should be discussed” in future negotiations between the countries.
Absent international safety guarantees, Pashinyan suggested Azerbaijani forces or non-state forces could carry out “ethnic cleansing” of the Armenians living in the region, thousands of whom have been effectively cut off from regular access to essentials by an Azerbaijani blockade now in its fifth month.
Nonetheless, the prime minister insisted Azerbaijan and Armenia are engaged in active peace talks, and expressed a desire to resolve outstanding issues.
The sentiment was echoed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who claimed the disputed territory had been suffering from what he called “Armenian occupation” for decades but said he hopes talks between the two sides will “bring about solid peace in the South Caucasus.”
Aliyev and Pashinyan are slated to hold talks on Thursday in Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin set to serve as mediator. Pashinyan has expressed hope for a peace treaty but said it was unlikely to be signed at the discussion planned for May 25.