How realistic is the return of refugees to Nagorno-Karabakh? I say directly that I do not consider it realistic. Moreover, I consider it important to honestly tell people about it because they need to build their plans. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this while answering questions after his address Tuesday at the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in Strasbourg, France.

“In general, I consider the issue of the return of all refugees dangerous for the peace process [between Armenia and Azerbaijan],” he noted, and added that the Karabakh conflict had begun as a humanitarian issue and had grown into a protracted conflict.

Pashinyan recalled that Armenia recognizes the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and inviolability of borders of Azerbaijan, based on the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991, and called for focusing on this resolution.

"To implement this resolution in the coming decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan must leave each other alone, focus on economic cooperation, and gradually build a dialogue," the Armenian PM emphasized, and called on Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh to accept Armenia citizenship and settle in the country.