Armenian Prime Minister to European Parliament: ‘We must move steadily towards peace with Azerbaijan’

On 17 October, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg, expressing his staunch defence of democratic principles in Armenia.

Referring to Azerbaijan’s recapture of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, he said that Baku did so in “fulfilment of its long-standing policy of ethnic cleansing”. 

He also spoke of the dire humanitarian situation resulting from Azerbaijan’s long blockade of the Lachin corridor and delivered a sharp rebuke to Moscow after Baku’s latest offensive.

“When hundreds of thousands of Armenians were fleeing from Nagorno Karabakh to the Republic of Armenia, not only did our allies in the security sector refuse to help us, but they also made public calls for a change of power in Armenia, to overthrow the democratic government,” he said. “But the people of Armenia united for their own independence, sovereignty, democracy, and another conspiracy against our state failed.”

Pashinyan also stated his willingness to sign a peace and relations settlement agreement with Baku by the end of the year. “We must move steadily towards peace /…/”, he said. “To do this, political will is necessary and I have that political will. On the other hand, the international community and the European Union, and the countries of our region should support us, do everything to make this opportunity real for us.”

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