A regional Camp David for the South Caucasus Doha Forum: Azerbaijan’s Hajiyev on building lasting peace

The conflict may already be resolved, but issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan remain a current topic of news, said Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, at the Doha Forum, during a panel discussion with Armen Grigoryan, Caliber.Az reports.

He said that the Washington agreement is indeed historic because it fundamentally changes the situation in the South Caucasus. Unfortunately, over the past 30 years, the region has suffered from a deficit of peace — it has seen conflict and war. That has finally come to an end.

For illustrative purposes, Hajiyev called it a “Camp David arrangement” for the South Caucasus, noting that, of course, each conflict is unique and every geopolitical environment is different, while expressing confidence that its impact would be comparable.

He added that he preferred to avoid personalising the issue, but spoke about society’s overall reaction. According to him, there was a huge positive response in Azerbaijan, as the country had been awaiting peace for 30 years — and it has finally arrived. Regarding future generations, he said, this “will save them from the unfortunate developments that we had in the early 90s and it will provide lasting peace and we will strive for that.”

He stated that the Washington agreement established a peace in the South Caucasus based on justice. Building on this, he continued, “we are building the new realities and the new status quo” that ensures legitimacy, legality, and the principles of international law in the region. This is a fundamental achievement.

Speaking on the Armenian–Azerbaijani process, Hajiyev said that Azerbaijan does not want to retreat into a comfort zone, understanding that peace is hard work and requires continuous effort.

Thanking his colleague Armen Grigoryan, Hajiyev noted that the sides interact at the level of deputy prime ministers and maintain regular communication, and that foreign ministers are also in constant contact.

According to the presidential aide, one of the cornerstones is transport connectivity. In Azerbaijan, this is called the Zangezur Corridor, while Armenian colleagues use a different name. He expressed hope that terminology would be the only issue, and stressed that the project is seen not only as a link between Armenia and Azerbaijan but as a broader initiative — reshaping the entire Eurasian landscape, connecting Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, Türkiye, and the Mediterranean, while creating economic benefits.

Hajiyev emphasised that a concept of “economic benefits of peace” is being built, creating interdependence, and that societies should already feel positive effects. He noted that this is significant work in progress.

He stated that Azerbaijan’s strategy is clear: for the country, war and conflict are over, after decades of living with a deficit of peace.

He added that while Azerbaijan now has a just peace, in a philosophical sense, peace is not merely the absence of war. It must bring prosperity, development, and transform the entire geopolitical landscape of the region.

The presidential aide stressed that Azerbaijan aims to make peace permanent, long-term, and irreversible. Achieving this requires extensive work. He acknowledged that there may be forces opposed to peace, and therefore, a resilient “immunity” and security architecture must be built to withstand negative influences.

Hajiyev noted that trust is essential — first between governments, noting that foundations of trust are being established between the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments. The same is being done at the level of security structures. But, he emphasised, even more important is trust between the peoples. Societies must be prepared for a peaceful agenda.

According to him, Azerbaijan does not want to sign peace solely with the Armenian government — it wants peace to be signed with the Armenian people as well. The goal is for both the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples, including future generations, to benefit from it. Azerbaijan has assumed regional leadership, responsibility, and full ownership of the process. Baku presented a draft peace treaty, discussed it with the Armenian side, and proposed five main principles, he said.

He noted that Track 1 (government-level negotiations) is progressing faster than Track 2. Therefore, the formats are being combined into what he called Track 1.5 — a collaboration between the state and civil society to prepare the peoples for peace.

He added that recently the Armenian Deputy Prime Minister visited Azerbaijan — an unprecedented event. The commissions on border delimitation met, and discussions also covered mutual trade. They considered the possibility of exporting Azerbaijani oil and petroleum products to Armenia — also an unprecedented step. Additionally, the transit of grain to Armenia through Azerbaijani territory, both Kazakh and Russian, was discussed. All of this is part of the economic benefits of peace and contributes to strengthening peace in the region.

Hajiyev acknowledged that over the past five years — after the 2020 military operation — Armenia and Azerbaijan have been working on a peace agenda. Numerous meetings and negotiations with leaders have taken place. The discussions were not easy. Yet Azerbaijan took the initiative, presenting a real draft peace treaty and five fundamental principles.

The Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan emphasised that with the arrival of President Trump’s team and his personal involvement, they witnessed a full commitment to the international peace agenda. “President Trump has full dedication to the international peace agenda and to resolving outstanding conflicts in the world, [which also aligns] with our own agenda, as we need stronger American engagement and, in a sense, a political guarantee — the weight of American support behind the peace agenda,” he said.

According to him, active bilateral contacts began in February–March, and the American side similarly engaged with Armenia. The efforts were then combined, and the process started to work effectively.

He recalled that prior to Washington, there was a meeting in Abu Dhabi — possibly the first time a meeting between the governments of the two countries lasted more than five hours. During this meeting, the parties agreed on the key frameworks of the Washington process. This is why he emphasised the crucial role of President Trump — his involvement became a fundamental element in the successful achievement of the Washington agreement.

While recognising the importance of the United States, Hajiyev also highlighted the significance of the bilateral process. There is an understanding that Armenia and Azerbaijan themselves must build peace, reach an agreement, and then present it to international partners. The bilateral nature of the negotiations proved effective. The American side acted as an honest, impartial mediator and carried the process through to its conclusion.

According to him, the sides are currently continuing to work on a bilateral basis — including through civil initiatives. This has proven to be effective.

Emphasising the critical importance of support from the international community, the presidential aide said that the signing in the Oval Office in Washington was deliberately made public — to demonstrate full responsibility and commitment to a peaceful agenda. There must be no step backwards.

He added that the international community must provide political support, but it is equally important not to pull the process backward. Some statements occasionally take the process back into the past — and that is harmful. The same applies to research by academic and media institutions, which sometimes “are taking us back”’ to a conflict-oriented rhetoric, Hajiyev said.

According to him, the region also requires economic support — including for the Zangezur Corridor and broader transport connectivity.

Hajiyev also touched on his meeting with Tucker Carlson on the sidelines of the forum in Doha, noting that he told him one of his recent pieces was not suitable for promoting peace, and Carlson agreed. The Azerbaijani presidential aide said he suggested that next time, representatives from both countries should be invited together — so that the discussion could focus on a real peace agenda. “The international media and the international community should support us, and we will strive for the future,” he added.

Hajiyev emphasised that, among all conflicts in the world, at least one chapter has been closed — the conflict in the South Caucasus. “Talking about peace is much easier than talking about conflict. Before, we (Armenia and Azerbaijan) were always fighting with one another and discussing disputes. Now, we are talking about peace,” he concluded.