Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the necessity of reaching an agreement with Azerbaijan on the process of defining their borders to avoid the eruption of a new conflict.
"This means that it is necessary to clarify where the Armenian border actually lies," Pashinyan said during a meeting with local residents in the village of Voskepar in the northeastern Tavush region.
"We see that we can start a real process of delimitation and demarcation in this section from Baghanis to Berkaber (villages)," Pashinyan said, adding that a war could start if Armenia opposes the process with Azerbaijan but his policy is to avoid such a situation.
"We are doing this not only for Armenia, but also specifically for the villages of Voskepar and Kirants, to ensure the safety of these villages," he said.
In December, the two sides agreed to begin negotiations on a peace treaty. However, many residents of Armenia’s border regions have resisted the demarcation effort, seeing it as Azerbaijan’s encroachment on the areas they consider their own.
Speaking to residents of the border village of Voskepar in the Tavush region, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned that Armenia's refusal to delineate the border could trigger a new confrontation.
"It would mean that a war could erupt by the end of the week,” Pashinyan said. He noted that the border demarcation should be based on mutual recognition of the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan based on Soviet maps from 1991 when they were both part of the Soviet Union.
"We shouldn’t allow the war to start,” Pashinyan said. "And this is also the reason that we decided to go to delimitation of the borders in these parts of Armenia.”
The hostilities have badly strained Russia-Armenia ties, with Armenian authorities accusing Russian peacekeepers who were deployed to Karabakh after the 2020 war of failing to stop September's onslaught by Azerbaijan. Moscow, which has a military base in Armenia, has rejected the accusations, arguing that its troops didn’t have a mandate to intervene.
Moscow, in turn, has been angered by Pashinyan's efforts to deepen ties with the West and distance his country from a Russia-dominated security alliance of ex-Soviet nations. Russia was also vexed by Armenia's decision to join the International Criminal Court, which last year indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes connected with the war in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg encouraged Azerbaijan and Armenia to reach an agreement Tuesday to normalize relations and establish peace.
"Armenia and Azerbaijan now have an opportunity to achieve an enduring peace after years of conflict. This is why I urge both countries to reach an agreement paving the way for the normalization of relations and a durable peace for your people," Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Yerevan with Pashinyan.
Expressing that Armenia has long been a NATO partner, Stoltenberg said he welcomes and appreciates Yerevan's contribution to NATO missions and operations, notably in Kosovo.
He said NATO supports Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its "peaceful aspirations."
"Russia's war in Ukraine is a sobering reminder that we cannot take peace for granted. I welcome your solidarity with Ukraine and invite all partners to do what they can to ensure Putin doesn't win his war of aggression," said the NATO chief.
He also said he and Pashinyan talked about the progress of Armenia's domestic reforms.
Pashinyan said Armenia is interested in continuing to develop its political dialogue with the alliance as well as expanding its partnership with the organization and individual member states.
"In light of the developments in our region, it is extremely important for Armenia to strengthen its resilience and develop appropriate defense capabilities," said Pashinyan, expressing that he presented to Stoltenberg his government's vision and approach to establishing stability and peace in the South Caucasus.
He conveyed his country's willingness to normalize relations with Azerbaijan based on three principles -- the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991 on recognition of each other's territorial integrity, the delimitation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the unblocking of regional infrastructures.
"We expect the firm support of the international community, including NATO, for the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on known and mutually agreed upon principles," he said.
Pashinyan added that Yerevan is committed to normalizing relations with Türkiye, indicating his belief that the implementation of agreements reached in 2022 may have a positive effect on establishing stability in the South Caucasus region.
Relations between Baku and Yerevan have remained tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that also opened the door to normalization.
Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh after an "anti-terrorism operation" in September 2023, after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.
Both countries continue discussions to determine their mutual border, with talks having been held between the border commissions on seven occasions since May 2022.
