YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has again responded to the aggressive statements by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
In response to Aliyev’s narrative of so-called “Western Azerbaijan”, Pashinyan reiterated that there is no Western Azerbaijan in the territory of the Republic of Armenia, and never existed and cannot exist.
“From time-to-time statements are made from Azerbaijan about the Republic of Armenia with the use of “Western Azerbaijan”, and we must adopt a very clear position about this issue or narrative,” Pashinyan said in a podcast-style broadcast. “In my interview to Armenpress I had given the wording, if we speak about “Western Azerbaijan”, I said that there is no “Western Azerbaijan" in the Republic of Armenia, hasn’t been and can’t be, and it is a direct aggressive rhetoric against a sovereign state,” Pashinyan said.
Pashinyan said Armenia is building its security on this very concept, and no one can dispute Armenia’s right to defend itself and have defense-capability.
According to Pashinyan, conceptually the real Armenia is the way to counter this aggressive rhetoric, based on recorded international realities, that there are countries with their territorial integrity and sovereignty, and crossing that line would mean to some extent to question the right to life of the other side.
“Now statements are made from Azerbaijan, seeking to make us respond to their aggressive rhetoric, and for them to increase the aggressive rhetoric and create an explosion in the region, but there is the conceptual and practical foundation for managing this situation. The real Armenia is the conceptual foundation, when we are building our security concept in our internationally recognized territory and borders. We are saying, this is our internationally recognized territory, we don’t have any aspirations or ambitions beyond this, there is no “Western Azerbaijan” in the territory of Armenia, never was and cannot be. We are building our security on this concept and justification, and therefore no one can dispute our right to defend ourselves and be defense-capable, that’s an absurd and illegitimate narrative,” the PM said.
“I want to say another nuance too, which I know will create a fuss, we say that Western Azerbaijan comprises the regions of Qazax, Tovuz, Aghstafa, Gadabay, Dashkasan, Kalbajar, Lachin, Qubadli and Zangelan. There is no, never was and cannot be Western Azerbaijan beyond that. In concept of the real Armenia, when we say Western Armenia, we too must realize that Western Armenia is the western part of Armavir province, the Baghramyan district of Aragatsotn province, Talin region, Maralik region, and this is very important, because real Armenia is within the real region. Just like there can’t be “Western Azerbaijan” on this side from Qazax, there cannot be Western Armenia beyond Armavir. Western Armenia ends near the river Araks. This is our security concept,” Pashinyan said.
He said that Armenia must withstand the attempts of Azerbaijan and some circles to derail it from the peace concept.