Pashinyan: Armenia 'conditionally' recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan

Several Russian news outlets, including the state news agency TASS, reported on Monday that Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, stated that the country is ready to conditionally recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh region as part of Azerbaijan if Baku guarantees the security of its Armenian population. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh has been a source of conflict between these two neighbors, as well as between Azerbaijanis and Armenians for over a century. In 2020, Baku regained control of areas within and around the mountain region that had been under Armenian control, and since then, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia has been periodically closed. This Armenian-populated region relies on Armenia for financial and military support and uses only this road. According to Reuters, citing a Russian media outlet, Pashinyan said at a press conference that 86,600 square kilometers of Azerbaijani territory includes Nagorno-Karabakh, and 'if we understand each other correctly,' Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity within the mentioned boundaries, and Baku recognizes Armenia's territorial integrity, including 29,800 square kilometers. Pashinyan stated that the rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh must be guaranteed for Armenia to accept the region as part of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders. He mentioned that this issue should be discussed in negotiations between the two countries. According to TASS, he reiterated Armenia's commitment to peace in the region and hopes that an agreement on the text of a peace treaty can be reached soon. Two weeks ago, Washington hosted the foreign ministers of both countries, focusing on recent disputes, including the installation of a checkpoint by Azerbaijan at the beginning of the Lachin corridor. On Thursday, May 14, the U.S. Secretary of State stated that they had made 'significant progress' toward a peace agreement following the meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington. Antony Blinken noted that the two sides had discussed very difficult issues in recent days and made tangible progress toward a sustainable peace agreement. He also added that it can be said that a peace agreement is 'within reach.' Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and gaining independence in 1991, Armenia and Azerbaijan have faced each other in two major wars over Nagorno-Karabakh. Although this region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, its inhabitants are predominantly Armenian. Despite years of mediation efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the two countries have yet to reach a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement to resolve unresolved issues, such as border demarcation and the return of prisoners.