Ambassador to US: Azerbaijan hopes for swift peace deal with Armenia

Azerbaijani Ambassador to the US Khazar Ibrahim has expressed Azerbaijan’s hope for the swift signing of a peace agreement with Armenia, while stressing that the Armenian side must first fulfill conditions set by Baku by removing obstacles to lasting peace in the region.

"We hope that we will be able to sign it [peace agreement], but as we have always said to our Armenian counterparts, there are some underlying and very substantive issues that need to be solved before signing it," Ambassador Ibrahim said in an interview with Diplomatic Watch, Caliber.Az reports. 

"Azerbaijan has a very realistic disposition, which is supported by the international community. One of these issues is a provision in the Armenian Constitution, which still contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan. We all understand that we won’t have sustainable peace if, hypothetically, we sign a peace treaty tomorrow, but the constitution, the main law of the country, goes against it. We will not have sustainable peace. Therefore, a change in the Armenian Constitution is a must," he noted. 

He further stressed the importance of dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group, describing it as “outdated and impractical”. “The second important issue that needs to be addressed is the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is outdated and impractical. It exists only on paper and is symbolic. Dissolving it would show that the conflict is truly over, because, in reality, it is over, and we are moving toward a more peaceful region, not only peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan but also development, prosperity, and stability,” the ambassador noted.

Ambassador Ibrahim highlighted Azerbaijan’s longstanding cooperation with the US and Israel, emphasising its positive impact on regional security. “We have been working very closely with the United States and Israel for a long time, as I said. This cooperation has already contributed to regional security, not just in our region,” he said. 

He underscored the mutual benefits of trilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan, Israel, and the US.

“The development of trilateral cooperation serves the interests of all three countries, and Baku is keen to further deepen this partnership,” he explained. “Take the Middle Corridor, for example. It is the shortest, fastest, and most cost-effective route connecting Europe and Asia. This corridor will benefit Israel and Azerbaijan. And of course, the United States—being a global superpower and playing a role in it—would also gain from this project. This reminds me of the large energy projects we launched in the 1990s around oil and gas. The United States championed those efforts. Major global energy companies, many of them American, got involved. As a result, we built pipelines that brought Azerbaijani—and more broadly, Caspian—oil and gas to European markets, and also to Israel, which today is one of the main consumers of Azerbaijani oil and gas.”

Regarding logistics and economic diversification, the ambassador noted that Azerbaijan’s interest in developing logistics connections enables the diversification of partnership with Israel. 

As for the trilateral relations, Ibrahim stated, “Now, as we turn our focus to transportation and connectivity, we are not just talking about oil and gas. We are also moving other goods that can benefit Israel and neighboring countries. We view this regionally and holistically. We don’t separate anything. We also enjoy excellent relations with Arab countries and our neighbors in the Middle East and Central Asia—some of whom are very close to Azerbaijan. We see ourselves as a unifying country. So even though your question is specifically about the U.S., Israel, and Azerbaijan, we believe these trilateral relations serve everyone’s interest. They promote cooperation over confrontation.”

By Naila Huseynova