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No agreement has been reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan so far on a practical solution to the issue of enclaves.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made the remarks during a briefing with journalists, responding to a question about recent political statements concerning Tigranashen and a visit to the settlement by representatives of Strong Armenia.
According to him, the former Azerbaijani enclaves are not included in Armenia’s internationally recognised territory of 29,743 square kilometres, while Artsvashen is included.
“I repeat: I did not use the name Tigranashen; I used the name Karki, and I am saying that Karki, as well as the other enclaves, are not included in Armenia’s internationally recognised territory of 29,743 square kilometres. On the contrary, Artsvashen is included,” Pashinyan said.
According to the Prime Minister, the forces that say they will not allow such a solution to the issue are effectively creating the danger of war.
“Now those who say, ‘No, we will not allow it,’ are provoking war. I repeat: how that issue will be resolved is a separate question. Acknowledging the fact is one thing; solutions on the ground are another,” the Prime Minister said.
Pashinyan stressed that no specific agreement has yet been reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the issue of enclaves.
“There is no agreement on this at present, nor has there been one. My main task is to remove the tension surrounding this issue so that we can arrive at normal solutions,” he said.
According to the Prime Minister, considering Karki part of Armenia’s internationally recognised territory would mean calling into question Armenia’s position regarding its territory of 29,743 square kilometres.
“If someone says, ‘No, Karki is part of Armenia,’ that means they are saying Armenia’s territory is not 29,743 square kilometres but, for example, 29,750 square kilometres. This means declaring war,” Pashinyan said.
He stressed that he had openly presented his position to the public and no longer wanted a situation in which the authorities would later be accused of failing to speak in advance about possible developments.
“I speak and have spoken transparently about everything. And the public has that choice. Although the elections have just taken place, the public can at any moment follow the three-headed party of war, but I will no longer allow the 2018-20 scenario to happen, when they say, ‘Why didn’t you tell us?’ I am telling you now,” the Prime Minister said.
Pashinyan reiterated that the position regarding the legal status of the territories does not in itself mean that the form of the practical solution to the issue has already been determined.
“But I want to clarify this once again: acknowledging the fact is one thing; the question of solutions on the ground is something entirely different,” he concluded.