YEREVAN, May 22. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday that intensive negotiations are underway between Yerevan and Baku as he expressed hope that the sides would be able to agree on the terms of a peace treaty soon.
"Armenia remains committed to peace in the region. And we hope that we will soon agree on the text of a peace treaty and will be able to sign it," Pashinyan said at a news conference.
Meanwhile, he expressed doubt that his country would be ready to sign such a peace agreement as part of an upcoming meeting between himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Moscow on Thursday. "Hopefully, we will be able to reach agreement on the opening up of communication links in the region," the Armenian premier said.
Touching upon the talks held in Washington on May 1 between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign minsters, Pashinyan highlighted one of the key factors in the talks, namely that, "since a certain point in time the two sides have engaged in a more direct and open dialogue."
Last week, Pashinyan announced that he would hold negotiations with Aliyev, mediated by Putin, in Moscow on May 25. He also plans to meet with the Azerbaijani leader in Chisinau on June 1, he added. That meeting in the Moldovan capital will also be attended by European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.