President Aliyev Delivers Optimistic Address on Peace Progress with Armenia

President Ilham Aliyev shed light on the evolving contours of the peace process with Armenia during an international conference in Baku this week. In his address, Azerbaijan’s president outlined the challenges and triumphs that have paved the way toward normalization process between the two countries. Key remarks by President Aliyev about peace are as follows:

• I want to say once again that it was Azerbaijan, the country which initiated the peace process. Because when the Second Karabakh War ended [in 2020], there was a certain vacuum in the region and also beyond, and actually, nobody knew what is next. So, the war stopped. It was not yet the solution.
• So, we decided to launch this initiative and start negotiations, publicly announcing that. At the first stage, there was no response from the Armenian side. We can understand it. Because the results of the war were not very easy for them. Then, we made another step. We elaborated the basic principles for a peace agreement, those famous five basic principles, which we made public.
• Actually, negotiation started based on those principles. Armenia added some different topics. That was actually the main obstacle because they wanted to integrate into the peace agreement between two sovereign countries, issues related to the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh, which was absolutely unacceptable for us because so-called Nagorno-Karabakh was and is the Karabakh region, an internal issue of Azerbaijan. And that was the main reason why we did not achieve progress. Because all the time they insisted on that paragraph, which was absolutely unacceptable for us. So, we saw that there was no way to come to an agreement.
• Now, we have a common understanding of how the peace agreement should look like. We only need to address the details, but of course, both sides need time. Because if signed, it will be a historical agreement for both countries. Therefore, every word, every full stop, every paragraph is important, but what’s important is that we both have the political will to do it.
• I think, it is absolutely realistic to reach an agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia before COP29, at least an agreement on our basic principles. I think, this is also an option: to agree on the basic principles and then to spend more time on details or wording. But even the draft can be ready, I think for that, both sides just need to work hard and maybe have many sessions of meetings, not just for one day, but maybe for several days.
• So, if the peace agreement is not signed, then, as I said, the arms race will continue. And well, if they don't want a peace agreement, we can live without this agreement, but will it be comfortable for them to live next to us without this agreement? I don't think so.
• Well, the alternative strategy can only be continuing the arms race; we have no other choice. It is not what is preferable, especially taking into account that we need a lot of financing to rebuild the liberated territories. But if we don't reach a peace agreement, that will mean that Armenia, as you mentioned, is planning something different. And they're using this process only to win time. We have quite substantial reasons to believe that this is the case. Though we're not sure. Taking into account the history when we were since 1992 until 2020 in the process of negotiations, but actually Armenia used these negotiations only to cement the occupation and to make the de-facto occupation eternal.
• So, our suggestion is to separate these two [border delimitation and peace agreement] issues. Saying that I don't want someone to misinterpret our position, or produce speculations. Azerbaijan and Armenia, when agreed on declaration of October 2022, clearly demonstrated that we will base our relations on well-known 1991 Almaty Declaration. And second, we said that we do not have territorial claims against Armenia in case they don't have territorial claims against Azerbaijan. We demonstrated it to Armenia that if they continue to have territorial claims against Azerbaijan, we will have territorial claims against Armenia and what will be the result of that? I think, now everybody understands.
• After they publicly lifted territorial claims against Azerbaijan and recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, of course, from our side, there will be no territorial claims against Armenia. Therefore, I just wanted to make it clear. Because sometimes, those who are situated far away from here and want to behave as more Armenian than Armenians themselves wants to misinterpret our policy and our steps. Our policy and position is based only on pragmatism.
• What we are now seeing on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and not you do not see what is behind the scenes. I mean the context between representatives of the two countries. Discussions are more open, more constructive. With respect to the border delimitation, Azerbaijan and Armenia behave in a very constructive way. What is seen is only a part. It is a result, but this result is based on regular contacts and positive dynamics. So, we need to consolidate on that and move forward.