The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues to remain a key challenge for our region.

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, on Thursday stated the aforesaid in his address at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in Strasbourg, France.

In his words, like any democratic government, the Armenian government is devoted to the precept of solely a pacific resolution to the matter. But, as per Pashinyan, the democratic changes that occurred in the country have brought new shades also to our perceptions toward the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

“It’s extremely important that we were able to start a quite constructive and positive dialogue with the president of Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan said. “But I’m convinced that a dialogue solely between the leaders is not enough to settle the matter. It’s very important that a dialogue start also between the communities; that we prepare our communities for peace.

“I personally have started such conversation from the rostrum of the National Assembly [of Armenia], declaring that any option for settling the Karabakh conflict shall be acceptable for the peoples of Armenia, Artsakh, and Azerbaijan. This is an unprecedented statement in our reality, and it’s the formula that will enable to achieve the settlement of the conflict. Sadly, we don’t hear similar words from Azerbaijan.”