YEREVAN—Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have issued statements today following Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s extensive press conference on January 7.
During the press conference with Azerbaijani TV channels, Aliyev escalated his rhetoric regarding Armenia, its military policies and the controversial “Zangezur Corridor.” Both Armenian leaders firmly rejected these claims and reiterated their commitment to peace and dialogue.
Aliyev threatened further military action if Armenia does not comply with Azerbaijan’s territorial demands. He called for the destruction of “fascism” in Armenia and doubled down on the necessity of opening the so-called “Zangezur Corridor,” which would create a land link between Azerbaijan and Turkey, cutting through Armenian territory.
“The Zangezur Corridor must and will be opened. The sooner Armenia understands this, the better,” Aliyev said. He asserted that Azerbaijan does not need a peace treaty with Armenia if Yerevan is unwilling to cooperate.
Aliyev also suggested that Armenia’s prime minister meet with representatives of the Western Azerbaijan Community. “Western Azerbaijan” is an irredentist concept referring to the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. The Azerbaijani president said that Western Azerbaijanis have been unjustly displaced and possess an inherent right to return. “Armenia presents itself as a country adhering to European democratic values. It should demonstrate this commitment visibly,” Aliyev remarked.
Aliyev reiterated that the issue “would not be removed from the agenda until Azerbaijani citizens are able to return and resettle in Western Azerbaijan under conditions of safety and security.”
Mirzoyan responded to Aliyev’s statements about “Western Azerbaijan,” stating that Armenia does not recognize any such issue on the agenda. Regarding the ongoing efforts to normalize relations and sign a treaty, Mirzoyan highlighted progress made in 2024, particularly in the process of border delimitation.
“Last year, we saw significant progress, including the signing of the first international legal document concerning joint activities of delimitation commissions,” he said during a press conference. The two countries have agreed to continue work on delimitation, with a commission meeting scheduled for January. Mirzoyan confirmed that 15 out of 17 points of the treaty have been settled.
In a speech delivered on New Year’s Day, Aliyev warned that Armenia’s arms procurements could destabilize the peace process. “Armenia’s large-scale and accelerated armament, along with the supply of lethal weapons to the country, could undermine the peace that is possible,” he said. He added that the South Caucasus should be a region of peace, tranquility and cooperation but he advised the Armenian leadership to avoid taking a “dangerous path,” stating that “Armenia cannot compete with us in either military or any other field.”
In response, Mirzoyan reiterated Armenia’s commitment to peaceful engagement. “Armenia is not going to return weapons it has already purchased,” Mirzoyan said. “We will continue to strengthen our defense capabilities to protect our territorial integrity. If Azerbaijan has genuine concerns, our proposal for an arms control mechanism still stands.”
Armenian PM Pashinyan also weighed in on Aliyev’s comments and addressed concerns over military build-ups in the region. “We are aware of Azerbaijan’s increasing militarization, just as they are aware of ours. We continue to advocate for mutual arms control mechanisms to ensure stability,” Pashinyan said during an interview with Armenpress. He further stressed that misinformation, including false claims about ceasefire violations, should not derail diplomatic efforts. “We are proposing joint mechanisms to verify such claims and ensure accountability,” he added.
Armenia has previously proposed the establishment of a joint Armenia-Azerbaijan mechanism aimed at investigating ceasefire violations and other military incidents along the border. The proposal, designed to promote transparency and accountability, has yet to receive a response from Azerbaijan.
Armenia suggested a cooperative investigation mechanism, in light of growing tensions. Azerbaijan claimed that Armenian forces opened fire on its positions along the southeastern border area on January 5 and 6. The Armenian Ministry of Defense swiftly rejected these allegations, describing them as false and unsupported by evidence.
PM Pashinyan also rejected Aliyev’s characterization of Armenia as a “fascist state,” calling it part of a broader campaign to legitimize further aggression. “We will not engage in aggression, but rather in dialogue,” Pashinyan stated. He reiterated Armenia’s commitment to a peace strategy that focuses on settling misunderstandings and improving mutual perceptions. “We have already proposed solutions for two unresolved articles in the peace agreement and are ready to sign it, once we receive a positive response from Azerbaijan,” he continued.
Pashinyan also highlighted the importance of the “Crossroads of Peace” initiative proposed by his administration, which includes opening all regional transport corridors, notably those linking Armenia with Azerbaijan and Turkey. “We have made concrete proposals to Azerbaijan for the opening of the Yeraskh-Sadarak-Ordubad-Meghri-Zangilan railway,” Pashinyan said, adding that this plan offers real solutions for regional connectivity.
Political analyst Benjamin Matevosyan sharply criticized Aliyev’s remarks, particularly his description of Armenia as a “fascist state.” Matevosyan argued that these statements expose a dangerous pattern of hostile rhetoric that undermines any genuine prospects for peace and stability in the region.
Matevosyan added that Aliyev’s provocative words present an “excellent opportunity” for Pashinyan to make significant and alarming concessions in response, including recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan once again, abandoning joint military exercises with Iran and expelling Russian border guards from Armenian territory.
Aliyev’s remarks are not just a diplomatic affront but an attempt to push Armenia into a corner, forcing it to backtrack on critical alliances and concessions, Matevosyan argued. Rather than confront this dangerous escalation head-on, Matevosyan suggested that Pashinyan appears to passively accept a series of potentially catastrophic shifts in Armenian foreign policy. Instead of standing firm in the face of Azerbaijani aggression, Pashinyan’s government seems willing to yield to Aliyev’s provocations — an approach that, according to Matevosyan, would only embolden Azerbaijan’s territorial expansion and undermine Armenia’s sovereignty.
Matevosyan underscored that, in the face of escalating threats from Azerbaijan, Armenia’s response has not been assertive, leaving the country vulnerable to further geopolitical pressure. He questioned whether Pashinyan’s strategy of diplomatic appeasement would prove sustainable or if it would only lead to greater concessions and the eventual erosion of Armenia’s regional influence.
Hoory Minoyan
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That’s rich coming from the mouth of the gross human rights abuser, ethnic cleanser, war monger and war criminal Aliyev, who doesn’t even hide his genocidal intent of wanting to wipe Armenia from the map and of getting rid of all Armenians from their homeland. He himself is a current-day example of a fascist dictator and Azerbaijan a current-day example of a fascist dictatorship. He of course doesn’t see the irony of his hypocrisy. And this is the guy that the coward and appeaser Pashinyan is in a hurry to make peace with.
Now do the people in hayastan get it? There can be no peace with these people.
The article does not mention an important fact, that Azerbaijan’s land borders have been sealed closed for 4 years now. Not only with Armenia but also their borders with Rusia and Iran. He dreams of a ‘corridor’, yet he has blocked all the roads. Does this make any logical sense??
Azerbaijan has permanently closed all its land borders and Caspian Sea ports to passenger traffic, even for Azerbaijani citizens. Only cargo traffic by trucks and trains are allowed through its land borders and sea ports. Passenger traffic into and out of Azerbaijan, is only by airplane. And tickets for Azerbaijan Airlines, and the entry and exit fees at Azerbaijani airports, have been deliberately made expensive, in order for the state-owned national airline and the Azerbaijani state to squeeze out even more revenue from every passenger. In 2020, Azerbaijan closed all its borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, Azerbaijan cites “terrorism” as an excuse for keeping all its land borders and sea ports shut for passengers. The reason why dictator Aliyev did so, is a mystery.
Interesting to note that Azerbaijan has closed its borders using coronavirus as the excuse not that the scare put them mobilising to attack Arktash in 2020. Yet despite the world moving on from such even China,has kept it in place which is suggestive of an increasingly paranoid and insecure regime and extorting it’s citizens. Hence the short distance flight to Grozny in adjacent Chechenya which due to anti air missiles ended up crashing in Kazakhstan. Perhaps it might raise the issue of the state forcing flying for international travel within Azerbaijan?
Nevertheless it seems likely that Azerbaijan will attack Armenia citing lack of observation of the 2020 agreement and force through a route to naxchievan and isolate Armenia from Iran. Unlike Biden government who was sympathetic to Armenia such considerations are unlikely under Trump who hearing that his friend Netanyahu and favourite Israel prefer Azerbaijan will side with them on that basis ..
This absurdity becomes even more obvious and a bigger burden, for people living on both sides of the Azerbaijani border, especially along border towns. They have to travel hundreds of kilometers by car, bus or train to airports in Baku, Tbilisi, Tehran, Mahackala, Kars or Van, buy the expensive tickets, fly, and then travel hundreds of kilometers by car, bus or train, in order to visit the neighboring towns across the border! Most people living across the border, cannot afford to buy expensive airline tickets and pay the expensive entry and exit fees.
According to human rights organizations, Azerbaijan under the ruthless dictatorship of Ilham Aliyev, has become one of the world’s most despotic and repressive dictatorships, with a cult of personality around his father Heydar and himself, and is on par with Turkmenistan, minus that country’s eccentricities. Azerbaijan is even more repressive than Iran and very few countries are more repressive than Azerbaijan. And yet, Aliyev has the audacity to call Armenia a “fascist state”.
This Azerbaijani buffoon obviously does not want peace and that is why his demands and insults are neverending. He thinks he has the upper hand right now with terrorist Turkey on his side and Russia turning a blind eye on their joint terrorist activities in Armenia’s backyard and against Armenia for daring to choose a “leader” who is not of their choosing despite the fact that most people in Armenia today, including many of those who were lied to voting him in office, do not consider him as their leader and view him more of an incompetent traitor.
If this Azerbaijani criminal knew what fascism meant he would refrain from making such incriminating comments but unfortunately we have a sheep in office who won’t give him the answer he deserves. Fascist was so-called the founder, Mohammad Amin Rasulzade, of this gas station disguised as a country who collaborated with Nazi Germany providing Hitler with 70,000 Azerbayjani legion in WWII. Fascist is Aliyev himself who bought for three billion dollars the murderer and coward Ramil Safarov’s freedom from the corrupt Hungarian government and turned him into a national hero for taking an axe and bludgeoning to death Gurgen Margaryan a lieutenant in the Armenian army in his sleep in Budapest military academy where they were both attending English-language courses organised by NATO.
This Azerbaijani fascist criminal Aliyev needs a major rude awakening and be made aware that he is nothing without all the terrorists he has surrounded himself with and be reminded of his late KGB father’s devastating and humiliating defeat right in front of his eyes and that sooner or later he is going to pay for all his criminal activities. Unfortunately that won’t happen until a sorry excuse for a leader, turned chef and reality star, shameless and dysfunctional traitor Pashinyan is forced out of office for good.
I agree with all the accurate comments above. They are bang on and well written.
This aliyev Refuse Collector needs a lesson he would never forget, but who will give him this lesson. Who will provide Armenia with all the necessary armament and logistical back up. We are dealing with a very ugly, mentally ill person here. How many allies do we have that will seriously back us up. France? I am French Armenian. I don’t think France can go it alone, specially with Pres. Macron’s popularity on the down side. In my mind only the great U.S. of A. has the power to tell this Ugly Monkey Aliyev to stand down right now or else. Russia will not come to the rescue. We are in deep trouble. May God help us. Armenia being the only democratic country with India in this part of the world, the U.S. must realize the severity of the situation and threaten this guy to shut up or else. It is high time that the U.S. supply Armenia with weapons. It supplies Israel with weapons and Israel sends these weapons to Aliyev. Time is of the essence. It is getting too close to comfort. We do not need another Genocide. My father was an orphan at 10 years old in Turkey, his father and mother were murdered in front of him, he ran away and France was the only country that accepted him. He never saw his brother again. We need allies and we need them now and Mr.Pashinyan must be replaced.
In one word, Aliyev is sitting on a ticking time bomb, When it explodes, you may find him next to Bashar Al-Assad.
Mr.Aliev grew up in an environment created by the KGB general, who reached the highest echelon of the Communist Party of USSR, but who had also internal restraints and high intelligence which made him communicable and a good neighbor with Armenians. The son Aliev has no restraints and he is becoming more rich. “Paranoia” is a mental state of extreme distrust and suspicion of others. People with paranoia have the irrational belief that others are trying to harm them. Over 70% of people with psychosis have paranoia. His irrational and persistent feeling that people are ‘out to get him’ or that he is the subject of persistent, intrusive attention by others. This unfounded mistrust of others makes it difficult for Aliev to function socially or have close relationships. Although he is a graduate of “Moscow State Institute of International Relations”, he has no concept of international law. He never used the name of existing legal documents like “Woodrow Wilson’s Arbitral Award”, “Lenin-Ataturk and Kars Agreements”, Elie Wisel Genocide and Atrocities prevention act of 2018. (1990)The Leahy Law. (1992) Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. When the world , and mainly the US, is making “a policy” , that there is no policy in international law, negative people like Erdogan and Aliev are coming forward with their paranoia and always with hidden dangerose agenda(Erdogan with terrorists and Aliev with etnic cleansing…). After a 44 day war Erdogan “called” to the spirit of Enver pasha. Enver Pasha was the “idol” of Adolf Hitler.It is apparent that Mr. Aliev has poor memory. The day, when Fielmarshal Paulus surrendered to Soviets(02/02/1943) after being crashed during buttle of Stalingrad, Hitler ordered to exhumate the body of Taliat Pasha from Berlin cemetary (the mastermind of Armenian genocide with Enver Pasha) and send to Istambul, asking Turkish president İsmet İnönü to open the caucasian front,to criate a Turan. These facts are enough for him to come to his senses and stop paranoic delusions. He is the embodiment of all negative intentions of president Erdogan.
Turkey wasn’t suckered by Nazi Germany cajolement. It avoided participation although supplied raw materials notably chrome to both sides and when Germany defeat was inevitable declared war in order to seize their assets as prizes and get a seat at the UN conference in San Francisco.
Turks are exhausting but must always be opposed less Armenia becomes a vilayet.
Just another example, of many, that the Turks can never be trusted.
Ilham Aliyev, is a corrupt and genocidal despot. In 2003, inherited the presidency of Azerbaijan from his father in a fraudulent election. All subsequent elections were fraudulent. The 2013 presidential election results were accidentally released before the polls opened! There are no term limits, free press or free assembly. Aliyev’s wife is vice president.
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project named Aliyev the 2012 Person of the Year in Organized Crime and Corruption! The Azerbaijani Laundromat scandal exposes the bribery of European politicians to whitewash his authoritarian and corrupt practices.
Aliyev foments virulent anti-Armenian hatred to deflect from criminal behavior. Children are taught in school to hate Armenians. Azerbaijani military officer Ramil Safarov was revered for ax murdering an Armenian military officer. The Military Trophy Park in Baku glorifies the death and torture of Armenian soldiers.
Aliyev is nothing more than a vile,degenerate, murderous, lying thief who will end up in hell with Hitler and Taalat Pasha.
Only a policy of unrelenting boldness will defeat the Turks!
No fear!
No compromise!
Acquiescence in the face of bullying only invites more bullying – every Armenian should know that.