Parliament speaker marks first anniversary of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace declaration

Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan has released a statement marking the first anniversary of the signing of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Declaration in Washington.

“Today is the first anniversary of peace,” Rubinyan said on social media, posting a video message.

“A year ago, when the peace declaration was signed in Washington, skeptics did not believe that it would bring real peace. They did not believe that it would put an end to the endless shootings and casualties along the border. They did not believe that we would break out of the blockade.

“They said outright that, by doing this, we were giving the other side a way forward, while getting nothing in return and remaining under blockade.

“The developments over the following year proved otherwise. It has now been not just one year, but two and a half years since no one has been wounded or killed by fire from the other side along the border,” he said.

He highlighted that Armenia has not only avoided remaining under blockade but has also been the first to reap the benefits of unblocking, gaining a railway connection to the outside world through Azerbaijan. He emphasized that the same has happened through Türkiye, as Türkiye recently lifted restrictions on Armenia’s use of its railway network.

“This is real peace, and we should be happy about it. We deserve peace. Yes, not all the issues have been resolved yet. There will still be problems, and there will be statements that will upset us.

“We will still get upset, but not because of gunfire—or rather, we will get upset without gunfire along the border, without casualties. Because there is peace,” Rubinyan said.