Armenia will withdraw the claims it has filed against Azerbaijan in international courts only after the two countries have formally signed a peace treaty. Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office Lilit Makunts made the statement during a joint session of the National Assembly’s standing committees.
She said Armenia would never relinquish its right to defend its interests before international judicial bodies. At the same time, as part of the peace process, a decision could be made to withdraw the claims filed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan in disputes between the two countries.
"The Republic of Armenia will never give up defending its interests before any international judicial body. As for the disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, within the framework of the peace process, a decision could, of course, be made to withdraw the claims against each other, but only if the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan formally sign a peace treaty," Makunts said.
With this position, the Armenian authorities are making the withdrawal of international claims conditional on the formal signing of a peace treaty, while maintaining that Armenia will not abandon the option of seeking legal protection internationally. These are two distinct points: the possibility of withdrawing claims related to specific disputes is not being presented as a general renunciation of Armenia’s right to defend its interests before international judicial bodies.
Consequently, the future of the claims will depend not only on the progress of the peace process but also on the formal signing of the treaty. Makunts’s statement does not specify which particular claims are under consideration or what procedure could be used to withdraw them. At this stage, the only clearly stated precondition is the formal signing of a peace treaty between the two countries.
