There are many issues that need to be settled in the delimitation process. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of the Republic of Armenia (RA) stated this during his press conference Tuesday—and referring to the fact that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan announced that Armenia should return eight villages to Azerbaijan as a result of delimitation and demarcation of the border between the two countries.
"They say that there is a topic of enclaves. We also have that topic, there is Artsvashen [village], which is part of the RA sovereign territory and today is under the control of Azerbaijan.
There are topics that are used, including exerting psychological pressure on the Armenian public, to cause certain shocks. The purpose of the negotiations is to see what the issues are, to discuss those issues. Today, there are territories of Armenia that have been occupied [by Azerbaijan] since the 1990s. For example, most of the territories of Paravakar village in Tavush [Province] are occupied, the same from Berkaber, Vazashen village. Those issues will be discussed during the delimitation process. Why should they not be discussed? All issues will be discussed, and we have to see how we solve them. There are other issues that we also put forward, they also put forward," he said.
Pashinyan reminded that a census of people who emigrated from Armenia is being conducted in Azerbaijan.
"There was no violence whatsoever against Azerbaijanis on the territory of Armenia, whereas we had Sumgait, we had [Armenian] pogroms in Baku. Azerbaijanis [in Armenia] have decided to sell their house, to leave Armenia. How many [Armenian] people who forcibly emigrated from Azerbaijan do we know who had the opportunity to sell their house [in Azerbaijan]? There are property issues of those people. There is no need to be afraid. Yes, there are issues on the agenda.
They say there is an enclave issue. Very well. We have an exclave issue, the Artsvashen issue. There is an issue of occupied[Armenian] villages; for example Paravakar, Aygehovit, Vazashen, Berkaber, and others. They should be discussed. Until we solve these issues, there will be no stability. Is it possible that we will not succeed? Of course, it is possible because the interests of the countries of the region are not the only ones here," Pashinyan emphasized.
And asked whether the Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) could be replaced by a multinational peacekeeping force in 2025, the Armenian PM responded: "Let's not go ahead. The results of 4.5 years should be evaluated to see what happened. Our task is to ensure the safety and rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. The goal is important for us, and the most effective means should be used for that goal."
