Official Yerevan on Monday insisted that signing a peace agreement with Baku does not eliminate the risk of an attack by Azerbaijan, but it will significantly reduce it.
Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovannisian told reporters that Yerevan has not yet received a response from Baku on Armenia’s proposal to discuss the date and venue of the signing of the peace agreement.
“Of course, signing an agreement is another step toward ensuring against such a situation [an attack]. In the case of an agreement, this risk is further reduced because we also have the attention of the international community,” Hovnhannisyan said.
“Look at the statements that the announcement that we have finalized the negotiations on the text [of the treaty], has elicited from different countries. In other words, we need to see how we can mitigate such risks,” the deputy foreign minister said of the possibility of attacks.
When asked whether international guarantees will be provided, once an agreement is signed, Hovhannisyan said that the United Nations Security would be the most important guarantor, given that its members—the U.S., UK, France, China and Russia—have all welcomed the announcement on the conclusion of negotiations with Azerbaijan.
Since Armenia and Azerbaijan announced an agreement on the language of the draft peace treaty, official Baku has stepped up its preconditions and threats to Armenia, even claiming a massive military buildup of Armenian Armed Forces on the border between the two countries.
Asked whether these countries are willing to act as mediators or guarantors, he said, “I can’t answer that question at this time, but international institutions exist, whether it’s the OSCE, the UN or others. We are of course reacting and discussing with Russia and with all our partners who can contribute to this process.”
Hovhannisyan lamented Baku’s efforts to delay the signing of a peace treaty, saying blaming Azerbaijan for “taking one step forward and two steps back.” He said that this was not a new approach by Azerbaijan, attributing the recent threats and preconditions on Baku’s tactics.
The deputy foreign minister also spoke about the international response to the end of the peace treaty negotiations. He said that 58 countries and 10 international organizations have already welcomed the process, with many emphasizing Armenia’s important role in the process.
“We also stated that we are ready to discuss all processes related to the signing. There has been no response to this statement yet,” Hovhannisyan said.
He downplayed concerns that Azerbaijan has become more aggressive in its statements, saying “this is nothing new.”
“Of course, now, we have a very important tool, the observers, who reacted both in this case and in the past. The international community realizes that false statements do not contribute to any positive process,” Hovhannisyan said, referring to the European Union mission along the border.
“If we make progress, sign and ratify the agreement with Azerbaijan, and there are indeed signs of stable peace, of course, we can discuss a new mandate for EU observers, not necessarily limited to the border line,” Hovhannisyan said.
“There is also a mandate there to create confidence-building measures between Yerevan and Baku, as well as to develop capacities in different regions. I think that even in the most positive scenario in the future, we will be able to find the right model to continue working with European observers,” he added.
