“There can be no ‘Western Azerbaijan’ on Armenian territory” and other statements by Pashinyan
Nikol Pashinyan’s press conference
“We are not against ‘unimpeded transit’ [through Armenian territory]. But unimpeded transit does not mean bypassing the jurisdiction of the Republic of Armenia,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during his press conference on 31 January.
This was Pashinyan’s response to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s demand, voiced in an interview with Azerbaijani media in early January: “Unimpeded transit from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan must be ensured. There must be a comfortable and unrestricted passage from Azerbaijan to Azerbaijan without any checks or obstacles.” By making this statement, Pashinyan rules out any movement between Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhichevan without oversight by Armenian authorities.
Pashinyan also announced that Yerevan has presented Baku with a proposal for unblocking regional transport links, which “fully aligns with the principles of the ‘Crossroads of Peace’ project [an Armenian government initiative] and Azerbaijan’s expectations.” According to him, the proposal envisions international freight transit along the routes Zangilan-Meghri-Nakhichevan and Yeraskh-Nakhichevan-Meghri. He emphasized that Armenia is awaiting a positive response.
During his 4.5-hour press conference, Pashinyan addressed all pressing domestic issues concerning Armenian society, as well as foreign policy matters. As usual, he spoke about his vision for normalizing relations with Azerbaijan, unblocking regional transport routes, and Armenia’s ties with the EU and Russia.
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Freight first, then passenger transport: Yerevan’s proposal to Baku
Answering a question about unblocking regional transport links, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that Yerevan has made “a very specific proposal” to Baku. It addresses concerns shared by both Armenia and Azerbaijan and takes into account the positions of both sides.
According to the proposal, Azerbaijan’s Zangilan district would gain a railway connection to Nakhichevan through Armenian territory via Meghri. In return, Armenia would secure freight transport access from Yeraskh to Meghri via Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave.
Why was Meghri, a city on Armenia’s southern border, chosen? According to Pashinyan, it is the most realistic and cost-effective option. Given Azerbaijan’s stance, he sees no reason for Baku to reject Armenia’s proposal:
“Initially, this is about organizing international freight transport. One key aspect of the proposal is that, considering the atmosphere and tensions in relations, we will start with freight transport at this stage. Later, when conditions are more favorable, we will consider passenger transport as well.”
“Nowhere is it written that Russia’s FSB must be physically present”
Journalists asked Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about Russia and Azerbaijan’s claims that Armenia is not fulfilling Clause 9 of the 2020 trilateral statement—an argument they use as justification for potential military action. Pashinyan responded that the document should be viewed in its entirety.
The agreement in question ended the so-called Second Karabakh War, with Clause 9 specifically addressing the unblocking of regional transport links.
The Armenian prime minister argued that some provisions of the statement had been left “unfulfilled to an impossible degree.”
As examples, he pointed to the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh and the unrestricted movement through the Lachin Corridor—both of which, he implied, were not upheld.
Pashinyan stressed that the document obliges Armenia to guarantee safe passage on its roads but does not contain any provisions restricting Armenian sovereignty over its own territory. He underscored that the agreement does not require Armenia to cede its sovereign rights to any third party:
“There is a reference to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), but nowhere does it say that these forces must be physically present on the ground.”
The document states that “transport control is carried out by Russia’s FSB Border Service,” but Pashinyan reiterated that control can be exercised remotely, using communication tools, without an actual Russian presence.
He also noted that Russia’s November 2020 presidential decree clearly states that the entity responsible for all actions on the ground is the Republic of Armenia.
Yerevan’s position on peace treaty with Azerbaijan
Speaking to journalists, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said there is no new update on a peace agreement with Baku. He reminded that 15 out of 17 articles of the document have been agreed upon, while Armenia has submitted its proposals on the remaining two.
The unresolved issues concern the exclusion of foreign presence along the two countries’ border and the withdrawal of lawsuits filed against each other in international courts.
Yerevan is willing to forgo the presence of the EU’s civilian monitoring mission along Armenia’s border—but with a key condition: only in areas where border delimitation has already been completed. As for withdrawing lawsuits, Pashinyan said this could be acceptable under certain circumstances and conditions.
He emphasized that Armenian authorities must be assured that Azerbaijan will not only withdraw its lawsuits but also abandon related disputes altogether:
“Otherwise, we could face a situation where we withdraw our lawsuit, Azerbaijan does the same, and we agree not to take the dispute to international courts—but then Baku raises it during bilateral negotiations. This could lead to new tensions. In that case, we would lose the ability to use international platforms to manage the risk of escalation.”
Yerevan Agrees to Dissolve the Minsk Group—If It Doesn’t Greenlight New Demands
The Armenian government believes that if there is no conflict, there is no need for a framework to resolve it. However, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan insists that dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group must hold the same meaning for Azerbaijan:
“If for Azerbaijan, this means a green light to advance and deepen territorial claims against Armenia, then what is the point of taking this step?”
Pashinyan argues that Armenia has reasons to suspect such intentions. As an example, he pointed to the “Western Azerbaijan” narrative, which he described as a direct challenge to Armenia’s territorial integrity:
“Azerbaijan officially refers to around 60 percent of Armenia’s sovereign territory as ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ But ‘Western Azerbaijan’ refers only to Azerbaijan’s western regions. There can be no ‘Western Azerbaijan’ on Armenian territory.”
Yerevan Is Not Discussing the Return of Purchased Weapons
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made this statement in response to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s demand that Armenia return the weapons it has purchased to their suppliers.
The Armenian leader reiterated that Armenia has no territorial claims against any of its neighbors. Moreover, he emphasized that Yerevan does not intend to reclaim by military means the more than 200 square kilometers of Armenian territory currently occupied by Azerbaijan. According to Pashinyan, this issue will be resolved through the border delimitation process:
“The sole mission of Armenia’s army is to protect and ensure the security of the country’s sovereign territory. The Armenian army has no other tasks, nor will it. And having an army is the right of any state.”
He also suggested that Baku’s concerns over Armenia’s military armament could be alleviated—if Azerbaijan agrees to Yerevan’s proposal to introduce a joint arms control mechanism.
Talks with Putin Have Never Been and Will Never Be in the Language of Threats”
When asked by journalists about his discussions with Vladimir Putin, Russia’s stance on Armenia’s potential EU membership, and whether there were any threats from Moscow, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded:
“Russia, of course, has certain concerns about this process. Our conversations with Putin have never been and will never be in the language of threats. These are normal discussions, negotiations. We each express our position.”
At the same time, Pashinyan acknowledged that Armenia also has concerns about Russia’s policies and stance. He pointed out that over 50,000 Armenian citizens have supported the path of European integration, calling it a significant indicator and a key issue in Armenia-Russia relations.
Pashinyan also stated that Armenia will continue dialogue with Russia while also deepening ties with the EU.
The prime minister insisted that no one can or should deny Armenian citizens their right to choose their own future.
