By AZE.US
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Yerevan accepted the current text of a peace agreement with Azerbaijan after abandoning what he called the principle of “mechanical reciprocity.”
He argued that continuing to trade matching demands was no longer improving the document and was instead delaying the conclusion of negotiations.
Pashinyan made the remarks on Sept. 17 at a conference titled “Comprehensive Security and Resilience” and later answered reporters’ questions. Over the course of the day, he connected the peace process with the status of enclaves, transport links, arms procurement and the future of Russia’s military base in Armenia.
Why Yerevan Accepted the Text
The prime minister said negotiations reached a successful conclusion only after Armenia moved away from the automatic logic that it would act solely in response to an identical step by the other side.
“We saw that there was no longer any potential to improve the text of the peace agreement through ping-pong,” Pashinyan said. According to him, Yerevan instead asked whether signing and ratifying the text already on the table would improve Armenia’s position or create additional problems.
The Armenian leadership concluded that the agreement would improve the situation and therefore accepted the existing text. Pashinyan acknowledged that the document could theoretically have been better, but said the previous negotiating pattern had exhausted itself, according to Armenia’s Public Television.
29,743 Square Kilometers and the Enclaves
Addressing borders, Pashinyan again described the Alma-Ata Declaration as the fundamental basis for delimitation and demarcation. He recalled that under the 2022 Prague understanding, Armenia and Azerbaijan mutually recognized each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Pashinyan linked the enclave issue to Armenia’s officially recognized territory of 29,743 square kilometers. His argument was that if Armenia defines that area as its sovereign territory, it cannot simultaneously claim roughly another 10 square kilometers beyond it without weakening its international legitimacy.
He specifically referred to the debate surrounding Karki, known in Armenia as Tigranashen. His remarks indicated that the enclave question should be addressed through the agreed delimitation principles rather than treated as an exception to mutual recognition of borders.
Railways and Reciprocity
Pashinyan noted that Armenia’s railway is not currently open to Azerbaijan. But mechanically applying reciprocity, he said, would imply that Azerbaijan should also keep its railway closed to Armenia. The prime minister signaled that Yerevan wants to move away from precisely that kind of “step only in return for a step” approach.
Armenian officials are therefore presenting the reopening of regional transport links not as a simultaneous exchange of identical measures, but as a sequence in which each step is judged by whether it strengthens peace and connectivity.
From Closed Arms Markets to Diversification
Pashinyan also said that as of August 2022, the number of countries willing to sell weapons to Armenia was effectively zero. Yerevan had transferred millions of dollars in advance payments, he said, but the ordered weapons were not delivered.
He attributed the situation to two factors: Armenia’s membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization and suppliers’ concerns that military technology and algorithms could reach third parties; and doubts that the weapons would be used exclusively within Armenia’s internationally recognized territory.
Following the 2022 Prague meeting and Armenia’s decision to freeze its participation in the CSTO, the situation changed, Pashinyan said. In his assessment, nearly all global arms markets are now open to Armenia. His remarks were reported by Armenia’s First Channel.
Pashinyan Questions the Value of Russia’s Base
Pashinyan’s sharpest remarks concerned Russia’s 102nd Military Base in Gyumri. He said its presence “adds nothing” to Armenia’s security, citing the events of September 2022.
He stressed that Armenian officials had not asked Moscow to withdraw the base. However, he said Yerevan would not object if Russia itself decided to remove its forces.
“If they want to withdraw it, please, let them do so even tomorrow. If they want to stay, we are ready to discuss the conditions under which a base we do not need remains in Armenia,” Pashinyan said.
Taken together, the statements suggest that Yerevan sees peace with Azerbaijan as part of a broader security realignment involving less reliance on automatic reciprocity, diversification of defense partnerships, reopened transport links and a reassessment of Armenia’s dependence on Russia.
AZE.US