We recognize and leave each other alone: Pashinyan reveals the deal he proposed to Baku
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has revealed the essence of the 'strategic deal' he proposed to Azerbaijan, which he first mentioned in November 2024.
The essence of the deal is that after mutual recognition of territorial integrity based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, the parties would conduct border delimitation and 'leave each other alone.' In this context, he once again emphasized that he considers the topic of Armenians returning to Karabakh to be counterproductive, reports Sputnik Armenia.
'We will no longer dig into who lived where or who owned what. We are closing this topic. Only in this way can we achieve peace. We have our truth, but everyone else has theirs as well. And we should not think that the international community applauds us when we talk about our truth at various forums,' the Armenian Prime Minister stated in his video address while presenting the election program of the 'Civil Contract' party.
According to him, there are countries and certain political circles within these countries that sympathize with Armenia, share its point of view, historical narratives, and so on. However, at the same time, there are and have been circles in these same countries that share Azerbaijani approaches. Ultimately, all of this has led to a conflict on which others 'warmed their hands,' Pashinyan said.
On August 8, 2025, in Washington, the leaders of Armenia, the United States, and Azerbaijan signed a joint declaration concerning the peaceful resolution of the conflict. According to the U.S. President, Armenia will grant the United States exclusive long-term rights for 99 years to develop Route 741 (which will operate under Armenian legislation), through which Azerbaijan hopes to establish a land connection with Nakhchivan.
The American side plans to sublease the land to a consortium responsible for infrastructure and management. The foreign ministers of the two countries also signed a joint statement on the closure of the OSCE Minsk Group and its related structures. Additionally, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed and later published the text of a future peace agreement.
