Borrell: Pashinyan is first Armenian leader to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have recognized each other's territorial integrity in concrete terms, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission, said at the European Parliament debates on Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on Tuesday.
“For the first time, and this may be relevant, Armenia has recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan,” he said.
"It’s the first time that an Armenia leader, in this case [Prime Minister Nikol] Pashinyan, has expressed it in such an unambiguous fashion. It was totally unambiguous what he had to say in regard to the place of Nagorno-Karabakh," the EU foreign policy chief stressed, referring to Pashinyan’s statements at a news conference in Yerevan in late May.
Borrell expressed hope that Baku would accept the Armenian premier’s message and send the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh "a positive narrative with a clear message concerning their rights and security, that they will be fully respected."
"This is one of the messages of the [potential peace] agreement, which should go hand in hand with other points of the negotiation process," the EU diplomat added.