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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that peace can be the only real and reliable security guarantee for Armenia.
During a meeting with experts at the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin, Pashinyan was asked what could serve as a real and reliable security guarantee for Armenia.
Pashinyan first recalled that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is legally Armenia’s security guarantor, but failed to fulfill its obligations toward Armenia.
“Yes, the CSTO had and has legally binding obligations in the event of aggression and real security threats. This is not only an obligation toward Armenia; it is an obligation of all member states toward all member states. When the situation in our region escalated in 2022 and Azerbaijan invaded the sovereign territory of Armenia, the CSTO did not respond, despite our appeals and its legally binding obligations. In effect, this meant the collapse of our understanding of the security provided by the CSTO,” the Prime Minister said.
Pashinyan emphasized that peace can be the one reliable security guarantee.
“From our perspective, there can be one reliable security guarantee: peace. That is why we are now focused on peace with Azerbaijan, in order to further strengthen and institutionalize the peace that has already been established as a result of the Peace Summit held on August 8 last year in Washington, D.C., at the initiative and with the participation of the President of the United States, when the Declaration on Peace was adopted,” the Prime Minister said.
He added that history has seen cases in which peace agreements were signed but not implemented.
“Fortunately, in our case, we have very rapid implementation. Throughout our entire independence, every year we had casualties as a result of the conflict with Azerbaijan, but now, for two years already, there have been no casualties. Peace exists; that is the atmosphere of peace. In addition, we have started bilateral trade with Azerbaijan, and we are now entering the implementation phase of the TRIPP project. This means that we will restore railway and road connections with Azerbaijan, and these connections will be used for bilateral, domestic, as well as international links,” Pashinyan said.