YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population displaced by Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive should stop hoping to return to its homeland, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday, August 18, as he again touted Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements brokered by US President Donald Trump.
His August 8 talks with Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham held at the White House resulted in the initiation of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. Pashinyan also pledged to give the United States exclusive rights to a transit corridor through Armenia demanded by Azerbaijan.
The draft treaty publicized in the following days does not resolve thorny issues such as the delineation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border or the release of at least 23 Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan. Nor does it say anything about Karabakh.
“Peace has been established between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan declared in a 30-minute video address to the nation.
“As for our compatriots displaced from Karabakh, I have publicly stated more than once that I do not consider their ideas about return to be realistic,” he said. “And in general, I consider bilateral discussions of the return of people who became refugees after the start of the conflict in Armenia and Azerbaijan to be a dangerous factor that undermines the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
“Our vision for the future of our compatriots displaced from Karabakh is as follows: with our support and that of the international community, they should settle down in Armenia and live, create and establish themselves here as full citizens of Armenia,” added Pashinyan.
