“A peace treaty with Armenia is not a magic wand” Hikmat Hajiyev for TRT World

Azerbaijani presidential foreign policy aide and the head of the Foreign Policy Department under the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev gave an interview to the Turkish TV channel TRT World. We offer Caliber.Az readers a translation of the interview.

- Recently, a meeting was held in Russia between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Is a peace agreement now inevitable?

- Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you. Indeed, on the fringes of the summit of the heads of the CIS countries in St. Petersburg, the opportunity presented itself for informal negotiations or discussions between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. On our part, this was assessed as a fruitful and constructive interaction aimed at promoting the peace agenda between the two countries.

Azerbaijan has a strong determination to advance the peace agenda for the conclusion of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the normalization of relations between the two countries. From Azerbaijan's point of view, we no longer see any serious obstacles to concluding a peace treaty between the two states.

- When will you announce the results and how will this process go?

- It is difficult to name specific dates. Further negotiations are necessary to complete the process and conclude a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are in the process of exchanging draft peace agreements. We regret that at some point there was some delay by Armenia, however, Azerbaijan submitted its version of the peace treaty in September, and it took Armenia more than 70 days to respond to our comments. However, we did not delay the process and immediately considered the proposals and amendments of Armenia and submitted our comments on December 21. We are waiting for new comments from Armenia to continue discussions and negotiations.

- Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov recently stated that a bilateral peace agreement will not mean a complete solution to all issues. What did he mean?

- The peace treaty is an important document that will change the entire situation in our region. It will also change the landscape of interaction between Armenia and Azerbaijan. At the same time, we must understand that a peace treaty is not a magic wand. It cannot change everything at once. Further action on both sides will be required to fully implement the peace treaty, confidence-building measures, post-conflict ethnic reconciliation, and normalization of the conflict between the two countries. This will require a lot of effort on both sides. This was the message from the Azerbaijani foreign minister. But the main thing in the peace treaty is that it will eliminate the element of military confrontation, the element of war and cruelty between the two countries, which will have a positive transformative impact on the Caucasus region and, in particular, on interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

- Mr. Hajiyev, speaking of confidence-building measures, how does the Azerbaijani government feel about Armenia’s recent interaction with Western powers such as the United States and France, since it receives military equipment from the latter? Could such a move destabilize the region?

- Azerbaijan believes that Armenia does not need a militarization program. Armenia needs a positive agenda. It is also necessary to maintain regional, bilateral interaction between countries. At this stage, I would like to emphasize that we support direct negotiations between Baku and Yerevan. We also see great value in the December 7 joint statement issued by the Administration of the Azerbaijani President and the Office of the Armenian Prime Minister. This statement once again demonstrated that if we work together based on mutual understanding and trust, we can advance our regional peace agenda. This was the first historic document because the two countries were able to agree at a high government institutional level.

However, the militarization program, especially on the part of France, is not beneficial. It is counterproductive and will lead to another unpredictable development of events in the region. Other partners must also support the peace agenda.

- Recently, the Azerbaijani government demanded that two French diplomats leave the country. Could you tell us more about this? I mean, why is France involved in the conflict?

- Actually, we find it difficult to understand what the final goals of the French government are in the South Caucasus region. We said that other countries should not export their geopolitical intrigues and their domestic political plans to the South Caucasus region. The program of militarization of Armenia, as well as the promotion of revanchist sentiments in Armenia, do not contribute to peace. We, unfortunately, see this in the example of France, which is waging a counterproductive diplomatic war against the Azerbaijani Republic.

Two French diplomats, as stated by the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, were declared personae non gratae because they were involved in actions contrary to the values and spirit of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

- Mr. Hajiyev, what is Azerbaijan’s position regarding the participation of third countries in this process? I mean the United States, but also Russia and Türkiye.

- Azerbaijan’s approach is that peace should be primarily between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Peace agreements must be concluded through the joint efforts of Baku and Yerevan. Again, it is our responsibility to surprise the world in a good way. The December 7 joint statement was indeed an important milestone in this direction. At the same time, we see active interaction between regional countries, Turkish-Azerbaijani cooperation, partnership, and brotherhood - this is something special. Meanwhile, Türkiye is a regional country and fully supports the peace agenda. Azerbaijan offers the 3+3 format and the active regional participation of all other countries trying to establish peace, cooperation, and partnership in our region.

Of course, Azerbaijan does not exclude other platforms regarding interaction between Baku and Yerevan. But we don't look at mediation, we think more about good services. And it doesn't matter where they come from. The important thing is that they must be results and goal-oriented. From this point of view, Azerbaijan supports active direct interaction between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We have already succeeded in this.

- Do you expect complete normalization of relations between Ankara and Yerevan after Azerbaijan signs a peace treaty with Armenia?

- Türkiye has always demonstrated positive interaction with the South Caucasus region. It also supports the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. But at the same time, Yerevan must change its policy towards regional countries, as well as towards Ankara. Armenia must also put an end to military claims against regional countries. Therefore, Azerbaijan’s approach is that together with Türkiye, with our partners and brothers, the Turkish foreign minister, and relevant institutions, we say that in parallel, Azerbaijan and Türkiye support the normalization process. This is in the interests of the Republic of Armenia. Soon, Armenia will understand this reality, because it is in everyone’s interests.

- Another pressing issue is the Zangezur corridor. What is known about this? I mean, what are the main obstacles and why does Armenia not want to join this project?

- Why Armenia has not provided any conditions for the implementation of this project over the past three years is a big question. We have put a lot of effort into discussing all modalities for opening the Zangezur corridor: this was Armenia's obligation under the Tripartite Statement of November 10, 2020, to provide access from the western regions of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan. We also know that Nakhchivan continues to remain under blockade because it has no direct connection with mainland Azerbaijan. Baku expects that it should be provided with more simplified conditions for the unimpeded movement of goods and passengers. But we did not see a certain reciprocity from Armenia. It is in the interests of Armenia to change its policy.

And we do not expect further thoughts from Armenia. Azerbaijan has already begun to build alternative routes to Nakhchivan through Iranian territory. We have already started our discussions. Everything depends on Armenia. If Armenia sees itself as a regional transit country, it must provide favorable conditions for the passage of goods and ensure security mechanisms related to transportation.

- Mr. Hajiyev, unfortunately, we are forced to end here. Thank you very much for joining our program. I really appreciate it.

- I appreciate it too, thank you!