Politics
The starting point for peace is the regulations of the demarcation commissions. Prime Minister
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the conference titled "Orbeli Forum 2025: Building Peace and Multilateral Cooperation" organized by the Orbeli Analytical Center of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Prime Minister's Office of the Republic of Armenia.
The conference was also attended by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Alen Simonyan, the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, Arayik Harutyunyan, representatives of the legislative and executive authorities, diplomats, and experts from 17 countries.
Nikol Pashinyan delivered a speech, welcomed the conference participants, and emphasized that the title accurately reflects the working agenda of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the ruling majority. The Prime Minister spoke about the Regulations on the Joint Activities of the Demarcation Commissions signed between the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2024, noting that it is, in fact, the first bilateral international document to have de jure legal force in Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"One of the most critical provisions was that the Alma-Ata Declaration would be the basic principle for the demarcation of the border between the two countries. And this is, in fact, a cornerstone, a turning point in the establishment of interstate relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, by which the two countries formally acknowledge each other's territorial integrity, as outlined in the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991. This means that Armenia and Azerbaijan realize that the territory of independent Azerbaijan is identical to the territory of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, and the territory of independent Armenia is similar to the territory of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic.
This fact has already been recorded in the text of the initialed peace agreement, as well as in the Washington Declaration, which is already a well-known fact. Of course, the most remarkable success story on our path was the peace summit held in Washington on August 8, 2025, as a result of which a declaration was adopted and the agreement "On the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan" was initialed. And thus peace was established between the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan," the head of state noted.
In this context, the Prime Minister noted that, in political terms, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is over; however, in socio-psychological terms, it persists and cannot be halted by applying a brake or a lever. According to Nikol Pashinyan, it can be stopped with political leadership. "Do we want to be a victim of history, or do we want to be a creator of history? The experience of the last two years tells us that we can be creators of history, which does not mean forgetting history at all. But on the other hand, not forgetting history and being a creator of history means at least not entering the controversial role of a reproducer of history."
Within the framework of the topic, the head of state also added: "And I also want to record that we must be careful in the logic of history: what are we saying, and why can't we refer, we cannot refer, in particular, to the history of those times. And there are, by the way, historians, politicians, and political leaders who refer to the history of those times, considering it the main legitimate starting point, where, including our region, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, the histories were characterized by Kirovites and Kirovabads, Leninites and Leninabads, Kuibyshevites, "October" cinemas, etc. There are political leaders, there are circles who consider this to be the only legitimate starting point."
According to the Prime Minister, the following should be recorded: our region has been under the rule of empires for the past centuries. "There was Persia, there was the Ottoman Empire, there was the Russian Empire, before that, the Arab rule, after that, the Mongol-Tatar rule. And just as Kirovs and Kirovabads were created during the Soviet period, the Arab region has its Kirovs and Kirovabads, the Persian region has its Kirovs and Kirovabads of its period, the Ottoman period has its Kirovs and Kirovabads of its time, the Mongol-Tatar region has its Kirovs and Kirovabads of its time, the Byzantine period has its Kirovs and Kirovabads of its time."
Nikol Pashinyan noted that the starting point for peace is the regulation of joint activities signed between the demarcation commissions of the two countries, which has the highest legal force in both countries. "Next is the Washington Declaration and, finally, the initialed peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And it is the existence of these three documents that gives grounds to say that peace has been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And it is the socio-psychology that exists outside the framework of these documents that makes it necessary to emphasize that the established peace needs daily care and, of course, further institutionalization, that it is already a working and political agenda, and on which these works are taking place and continue."
Summing up his speech, the Prime Minister noted that this is an organic peace that has been created and formed in the region. "This is not an imported peace, this is the result of joint work between Armenia and Azerbaijan in our region, and this result must be subject to daily care. Both the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the ruling majority are committed to this agenda, and we will continue to move forward with this strategy."
The Prime Minister also answered questions raised by those present during the conference.
