Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia has made clear his intention to establish a peace agreement with neighbouring Azerbaijan, following decades of tension and conflict. These plans were announced on Thursday, just a few weeks after Azerbaijan reclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh region from ethnic-Armenian separatists.
Pashinyan, while addressing an international economic forum in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, stated, “We are currently working on the draft agreement with Azerbaijan on peace and the normalisation of relations, and I hope this process will successfully conclude in the coming months.” He added that the forthcoming peace treaty would revolve around the mutual recognition of the Soviet-era borders of the two Caucasus neighbours.
At the same forum, Ali Asadov, the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, echoed Pashinyan’s sentiments. He affirmed Baku’s commitment to peace and the restoration of transport links with Armenia, a dedication that has been in place since 2020. However, he emphasised that progress depended on Yerevan’s readiness to reciprocate. The Azerbaijan President, Ilham Aliyev, has previously indicated that a peace agreement with Yerevan might be signed by the end of this year.
The context of this proposed peace agreement is last month’s offensive by Azerbaijan to regain control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognised as Azerbaijani but governed by ethnic Armenian separatists since the 1990s. This incursion led to the large-scale departure of most of Karabakh’s 120,000 ethnic Armenians.
Pashinyan’s announcement comes while the region is striving to achieve lasting peace. However, the journey has been challenging, with border disputes still ongoing.
In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Armenian Prime Minister also stated that he saw no benefit in allowing Russian military bases to continue operating within Armenian territory. Russia has a significant military presence in Armenia, including a garrison in two locations and an airbase. Russia has long viewed itself as the protector of Armenia’s security in the South Caucasus, an area intersected by oil and gas pipelines.
The Kremlin responded to these remarks on Thursday, expressing hope that the Armenian authorities would provide clarity on Pashinyan’s stance. Relations between Russia and Armenia have deteriorated in recent months, with Yerevan accusing Moscow of not providing support against Azerbaijan, a nation also allied with Russia.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been embroiled in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for 30 years. They have not had diplomatic relations, and their shared border is heavily fortified.
