Peace agreements are always signed between countries that have had hostility, war and casualties until that moment, and therefore do not build peace with friends, but develop relations with friends. This was announced by foreign minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the National Assembly of Armenia Friday—and during the debates on the implementation of the government's 2024 program.

"In our [i.e. Armenia and Azerbaijan] case, it is also clear that there was a war, there was years of hostility on both sides. And here I want to make the second important observation that any peace agreement in general—at least as far as I know from history, I do not recall any other case—does not immediately provide answers to all possible questions, does not immediately make two countries and peoples friends, does not make them partners with a magic wand. Of course, there are many issues, including sensitive and overly sensitive ones which must then be discussed, regulated, and the agreed and ready-to-sign text of our peace agreement [between Armenia and Azerbaijan] is also no exception in this regard," the Armenian FM said.

According to Mirzoyan, this agreement provides for mechanisms that Armenia and Azerbaijan can use to resolve issues and normalize their relations once and for all after this agreement enters into force.

“Of course, I am somewhat constrained to quote or open the text of the agreement verbatim. But, by and large, the content is known to everyone, and I want to say that the agreement provides for mechanisms by which we can continue discussions towards normalization of relations,” Mirzoyan told the Armenian FM.

Mirzoyan spoke also about the OSCE Minsk Group’s prospects, noting: “Our position on the Minsk Group is known. We believe that after the normalization of relations—at least after the implementation of such an important step as the signing of the peace agreement or, to be more precise, the agreement on the establishment of peace and relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan—we can consider that in institutional terms, the already documented conflict has come to an end, and at that moment we also can already say that there is no need for the Minsk Group’s activities.

Until now, unfortunately, we see that some elements of rhetoric, elements of destructivity, which we of course constantly encounter from the Azerbaijani side, are of concern to us in this context. I want to clearly state our position again: at the moment when we will have a signed peace agreement, we will also have our reservations regarding the further activities of the Minsk Group. "

The Armenian FM assured that any provision and arrangement agreed upon and envisaged in the peace agreement can be implemented only after the agreement is signed, ratified, and enters into force.