Azerbaijan's ideas conveyed to Armenia on the basic principles of the peace agreement, we have operatively discussed those proposals and stated that there is nothing unacceptable in them for Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this Wednesday during the National Assembly debates on the execution of the 2021 program of the government of Armenia.

He recalled that Armenia had de jure recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the inviolability of its borders by ratifying in 1992 the treaty on the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States and that this recognition is still part of the domestic legislation.

"We have stated that Armenia has never had territorial claims from Azerbaijan, and the Karabakh issue is not a matter of territory but of rights. Therefore, we have stated that the guarantees of the security of the Armenians of Karabakh, the ensuring of their rights and freedoms and the clarification of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)] are of fundamental importance for Armenia.

And therefore, with this addition to the agenda, Armenia is ready for the start of peace talks, and this position was recorded during the last meeting in Brussels.

What is important to record in this situation? A very important nuance. If in the past we were putting the status of Karabakh on the basis—stemming the security guarantees and rights from it, now we put the security guarantees and rights on the basis—stemming the status from it. In other words, we state that the status in this situation is not a goal, but a means to ensure the security and rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh," Pashinyan said.

He noted another innovation in Armenia's policy on this matter.

"As in the case of demarcation [of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border], the strengthening of the international legitimacy of Armenia's position on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh as well is extremely important for us, and in this regard, the resolution of the lawsuit filed by Armenia against Azerbaijan on September 16, 2021 with the International Court of Justice is essential. The lawsuit is based on the [International] Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and we hope that the resolution of the lawsuit, which, unfortunately, will not be too soon, will be a significant factor in protecting the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, and will raise the bar of the international community's perception of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh

But we must emphasize today as well that by its actions, Azerbaijan makes more and more grounded our lawsuit accusing that country of pursuing a policy of national hatred," Pashinyan said.