Mirzoyan: “The ‘Western Azerbaijan’ Narrative Is Perceived as a Threat to Armenia’s Territorial Integrity”

YEREVAN – “What we hear under the framework of the so-called ‘Western Azerbaijan’ narrative is directly perceived as a threat to the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan today during the parliamentary discussion on the implementation of the 2024 state budget.

“There is no such issue on the agenda of bilateral relations—neither from their side nor from ours—and it is not being discussed,” he added.

According to Mirzoyan, as long as a peace agreement has not been finalized, signed, and sealed with a handshake, the risk of escalation remains.
“I can’t say why they are shooting, but Armenia’s position is clear—we propose creating a joint, unified investigative mechanism to determine whether these soldiers are following orders or acting independently,” he said.

Residents report that gunfire has become a regular occurrence in the border villages of Syunik. These incidents have followed the alignment of the draft peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which Azerbaijan has so far refused to sign.

Speaking about the peace treaty, Mirzoyan described the agreement on the text as a “significant achievement,” though he did not provide any updates regarding the actual signing. Responding to opposition lawmakers who questioned how accepting Azerbaijan’s conditions could be considered an achievement, the minister said,
“We agreed to those provisions in part so that the rest of the negotiated document wouldn’t become ambiguous.”

The Foreign Minister expressed a realistic outlook on the normalization of Armenia’s relations with both Azerbaijan and Turkey.
“There are serious opportunities,” he said, without elaborating on the basis for his optimism.

When asked whether Armenia’s government would ever consider discussing Azerbaijan’s additional demands—specifically, the so-called “return” of Azerbaijanis and their settlement in Armenia—Mirzoyan responded:
“There is no such issue in the bilateral relations—neither raised by them nor by us. It is not on the agenda and is not being discussed.”