Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he's willing to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan by the end of the year.
"We must move steadily towards peace," Pashinyan said during an address to the European Parliament on October 17. "To do this, political will is necessary, and I have that political will."
At the same time, he denounced Azerbaijan's recent recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that it was a "fulfillment of its longstanding policy of ethnic cleansing."
Pashinyan criticized the inaction of Armenia's supposed allies, adding that they had not only refused to help but had actually "made public calls for a change of power in Armenia, to overthrow the democratic government.”
Nonetheless, Pashinyan emphasized that he was ready for Armenia to seek a lasting peace with Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh, which is recognized as Azerbaijani under international law, surrendered on September 20 after 24 hours of attacks by Azerbaijani forces. It was home to a predominantly Armenian population.
The breakaway republic agreed to dissolve its political institutions, and in the following weeks, most ethnic Armenians fled.
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