The release of our compatriots imprisoned in Azerbaijan and their return to Armenia has never been and will not be off our work agenda until the matter is resolved. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday stated this at the National Assembly while presenting the upcoming five-year program of Armenia’s new government.

Pashinyan added as follows, in particular: “Of course, work will continue on the delimitation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. I am convinced: exports from Armenia to Azerbaijan will soon begin in parallel with imports from Azerbaijan to Armenia. The launch and development of trade and economic relations with Azerbaijan, of course, considerably strengthens the established peace, and we will encourage our business entities to work in this direction.

Beyond the establishment and deepening of trade and economic relations, the delimitation of borders, cooperation on the issues of [Armenian] prisoners and missing persons [in Azerbaijan], the lifting of the blockade, and even the signing of a peace agreement, the sociopsychological aspect of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations is very important. And in order to make the established peace lasting, it is important to establish peace at the sociopsychological level. This means one thing that both we and Azerbaijan must face, come to terms with the fact that the territory of independent Armenia is identical to the territory of Soviet Armenia, the territory of independent Azerbaijan is identical to the territory of Soviet Azerbaijan—no more, no less.”