Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness to sign the peace treaty as soon as possible, rejecting the suggestion that its signing was being postponed.
Mirzoyan made the remarks in response to MP Arega Hovsepyan during a government question-and-answer session in the National Assembly.
The MP asked why different timelines had been mentioned for signing the peace treaty. She also asked whether Azerbaijan’s position concerning changes to Armenia’s Constitution was the final precondition.
Mirzoyan said Armenia had expressed its readiness to begin consultations on arranging the signing as early as the stage when the treaty’s text was being agreed.
“We have a commitment to secure the signing of the peace treaty within our mandate, during this term. But even that has not been enough: we have since made further statements and said that we remain ready to sign as soon as possible,” Mirzoyan said.
Addressing Azerbaijan’s position, the minister said Baku linked the signing of the treaty to changes to Armenia’s Constitution. He distinguished, however, between a negotiating demand and the other side’s position on its ability to sign.
“They are not saying, ‘We demand that you go and change your Constitution.’ They are saying, ‘We will not sign,’” Mirzoyan said, describing Azerbaijan’s approach.
Mirzoyan reiterated that Armenia should continue working towards signing the treaty.
Asked about linking TRIPP to the peace process, the minister said the project concerned unblocking Armenia’s transport links, connecting the country to the outside world and regional connectivity, and was therefore directly related to the peace process.
“The TRIPP project is about unblocking Armenia’s transport links, about connecting Armenia to the world,” Mirzoyan said.
