A regular Cabinet session took today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Before starting the discussion of the agenda, the Prime Minister presented the perception of the Government of Armenia on the de-escalation of the regional situation, steps aimed at the establishment of lasting peace and stability.

Below is the text of the speech of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

''Good morning, dear colleagues,

During the Cabinet session of July 29 I outlined the perception of the Government of the Republic of Armenia for the de-escalation of the situation in our region, steps aimed at the establishment of lasting stability and peace, as well as emphasized the readiness of the Republic of Armenia to work with the international partners in that direction.

On July 29, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs also issued a statement, the key message of which was taking steps to reduce tensions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to refrain from provocative statements, as well as the resumption of the peaceful negotiation process for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs.

The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Armenia issued a statement on July 30, by which saluted the statement of the Co-chairs, showing the commitment of the Republic of Armenia to start peaceful negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs.

The call of the Co-chairs to refrain from provocative actions and announcements is definitely acceptable for us. It’s obvious that the preservation of this condition has a key role for the establishment of an appropriate negotiation atmosphere. And if the issue of the traceability of provocative statements is not a big problem, the issue of the party initiating provocative actions, ceasefire violations is always a source of debate.

I have said before, and now I think that the identification of the party initiating the ceasefire violations, the targeted condemnation of that provocative act, is essential for the further de-escalation and stabilization of the situation. However, such a function is difficult to imagine without the launch of an international monitoring mechanism. In my speech on July 29, I addressed also this issue on July 29, saying that I think it should be an observation mission of the Collective Security Treaty, and if it is not acceptable for the CSTO, the alternative is the observation mission of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Returning to the call of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to resume peace talks with Azerbaijan, I would like to emphasize that Armenia is ready to be involved in the negotiation process at high and top levels, and we are waiting for concrete proposals.

Dear colleagues,

The mandate received from our people to open an era of peaceful development for Armenia, Artsakh and the region places a special responsibility on the Government. To solve this problem, we must be as active and flexible as possible. Our mood should be the following - to do our best to solve the problems on the agenda.

Of course, there are issues that can be solved quicker. There are issues that take longer to solve, but I reiterate, we should be in the problem-solving mood. One of such issues that I think can be resolved fairly quickly is the opening of regional communications, the regional unblocking agenda. And I think we must resume works in the trilateral format of the Deputy Prime Ministers as soon as possible, be more active and proactive in terms of realization of new communication and economic opportunities in the region.

Our position on the demarcation and delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border remains unchanged, we think that the work in this direction should be intensified as well.

Dear Cabinet members,
Dear participants of the Cabinet session,
Dear compatriots,

The future deepening of enmity and atmosphere of hostility in our region is inadmissible. It is a threat not only for the entire region but also for the international security. We saw the manifestations of the deepening of the atmosphere of hostility with the example of the so-called "trophy park" opened in Baku, which, I think, is an insult to our region, to regional civilization. I emphasize this to show how urgent it is to manage this issue. Overcoming hostility can and should be one of the key components of our regional foreign policy agenda.

The Republic of Armenia is convinced that lasting peace, stability, security and economic development in the region requires the development and/or establishment of normal relations with neighboring countries. The deepening or normalization of relations with bordering countries will be one of the important directions of our government’s foreign policy.

In this context I find it noteworthy that some forces are attempting to show Armenia’s intentions in a bad light, claiming as if the Republic of Armenia has declared military reforms a priority in the context of engaging in aggressive policy against bordering countries. The Republic of Armenia, like any other peace-loving country, will develop and transform its military not for aggression but for defending itself from any potential aggression, and we don’t have any intentions of conquest. Our intention is the protection of our sovereignty and territorial integrity. We don’t have any aggressive intentions, and regional peace and stability is our long-term strategy. We are ready to engage in active dialogue around this agenda, with the support of our international partners, if necessary also through direct contacts. We will discuss these issues in more detail during the adoption of the 5-year government action plan''.