Armenia and Azerbaijan Take Crucial Step Toward Peace with New Agreement
Armenia and Azerbaijan, long embroiled in conflict, have taken a significant stride towards peace with the recent finalization of a long-awaited peace agreement. This development comes as negotiations concluded with Armenia's Foreign Ministry confirming on March 13 that it accepted Azerbaijan's proposals on the last two remaining uncoordinated articles of the treaty. The formalization of this agreement aims to establish formal relations between the two nations, marking a pivotal moment in an ongoing struggle that has persisted since the late 1980s.
In Yerevan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian remarked that the finalized draft is rooted in compromise and that his country is prepared to initiate discussions regarding the signing date and venue. He emphasized transparency to the public by stating, "We have no secrets from our society in that text which, in fact, article by article, was published separately.” Pashinian further reassured that foreign forces will not be deployed along the border after the treaty’s signing.
On the same day, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov announced that the negotiation process had officially concluded, highlighting that the previously unresolved clauses had been settled with Armenia's acceptance of Azerbaijani proposals.
However, despite this progress, Azerbaijan has insisted that Armenia must amend its constitution to eliminate any references to territorial claims over regions within Azerbaijan as a prerequisite for signing the peace treaty. This demand primarily focuses on Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory that has been a focal point of conflict for decades. "This is a necessary precondition for signing the peace agreement," Bayramov stated.
This latest advancement in negotiations is the result of years of dialogue aimed at achieving a sustainable peace deal. The region of Nagorno-Karabakh, historically home to a significant Armenian population, had been controlled by ethnic Armenian authorities since the early 1990s, following a brutal war that erupted after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The situation escalated significantly in September 2023 when a short but fierce military offensive from Azerbaijan resulted in the surrender of the separatist leadership, ultimately leading to the region being reintegrated into Azerbaijan. This shift resulted in a mass exodus of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians from the region, effectively concluding decades of separatist rule.
As Armenia and Azerbaijan move forward, the future peace treaty offers a glimmer of hope for stability and diplomatic relations in the South Caucasus, a region deeply scarred by conflict and displacement.
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