FM says some 'partners' want to see Armenia as a “sham” state

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan has stated that there are some 'partners' who want to see the Republic of Armenia as “weak, a sham resembling statehood.”

Mirzoyan made the statement in his closing remarks during a hearing of the parliamentary committee.

“Unfortunately, we have partners who, yes, want to see the Republic of Armenia as weak, as a sham,” the minister said.

He did not specify whom he was referring to. 

Mirzoyan emphasized that signing the initialed peace agreement with Azerbaijan remains a political commitment of the Armenian government.

The document, he said, should provide legal consolidation of the peace already established and contribute to strengthening Armenia’s independence and sovereignty.

“We are not abandoning the signing of the peace agreement for a single second. This is the commitment of our political team, and we will move toward signing the peace agreement with great determination and consistency. It will institutionalize the peace that has been established and is in effect,” Mirzoyan stated.

The minister defended the approach of building peace gradually, without making progress in various areas conditional on the simultaneous resolution of all issues. In his assessment, it is practically impossible to expect the entire package to be resolved all at once.

The foreign relations committee debated and approved the bill on ratifying the Framework Agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the United States of America on Strategic Cooperation Concerning the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).

The bill will be discussed during the parliament’s upcoming plenary session.