If the map is the basis of the "peace agreement", the issue will be technical later. Papoyan

The Prime Minister of Armenia mentioned that Aliyev's recent specific statements are unacceptable for us, and should we negotiate when Aliyev makes some statements that do not contribute to peace, but on the contrary, contribute to the increase of tension in the region? Today, on January 16, CP MP Gevorg Papoyan said this in a conversation with journalists at the National Assembly.

"Of course yes, because always leaving the negotiations means saying that we are going on the path of war. That's not true, and that's not how we move forward. On the other hand, preparing for peace does not mean laying down arms and surrendering. Preparing for peace can also mean an action where you increase your fighting ability, thereby preparing for peace, because our army does not aim to take over territories from other countries. Our army has one goal: to keep the territories of Armenia intact, which is its constitutional duty.

Look, they are talking about 8 villages, we are talking about 32 villages. But we don't want there to be 8 villages and 32 villages. According to the Almaty Declaration, Armenia and Azerbaijan became independent from the USSR with a specific map, and we want those maps to be put up, then their specific coordinates to be found, and a commission to go there and say, for example, the Armenian-Azerbaijani border passes here near such and such a village", noted Papoyan and added that these are the maps that have a legal foundation.

Regarding the observation that Azerbaijan rejects the maps presented by the Armenian side, Papoyan said: "Let Azerbaijan propose another map that will have legal validity. It can be brought to B.C. second century map, it's not serious. You can bring a map after the Turkmencha Treaty of 1828, it's not serious either. We should bring a map where Armenia and Azerbaijan were independent states or within the USSR, there were certain borders that had legal bases. We now say 1974 map, but if a 1960 map appears that still has a legal basis, we have no problem with it in principle. That map must have a legal basis, be approved by the supreme councils of the Azerbaijan SSR, the Armenian SSR, or the Supreme Council of the USSR. It should be an official document."

Turning to the fact that the Azerbaijani side has announced that they will not take a single step back from the territories they occupied (occupied - ed.), and these are the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia, Papoyan noted. "It is one of those destructive statements, which is inadmissible and which does not contribute to the solution of the created situation in any way. Today, a "peace treaty" is not signed for that reason either. It is clear that any solution without maps will be legally problematic, causing new political tensions in the future. The fair approach is that we take the map, sign the "peace agreement" based on it, then the demarcation commissions of the parties start adjusting the coordinates. If the map is the basis of that contract, the issue will be technical later."