Azerbaijani, Armenian political parties discuss regional peace in Vienna

Representatives of political parties from Azerbaijan and Armenia convened at the Austrian National Defence Academy in Vienna for a dialogue focused on improving Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and exploring pathways to peace.

The meeting was organised by the International Center for European and International Research (ICEUR), Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

The event brought together key political figures including Razi Nurullayev, Azerbaijani MP and chairman of the National Front Party, alongside Arif Hajili, Chairman of the Musavat Party.

From Armenia, the meeting featured Edmon Marukyan, leader of the Bright Armenia party, and Arusyak Julhakyan, a parliamentarian from the ruling Civil Contract party.

According to Nurullayev, ICEUR facilitates these bilateral meetings annually, typically involving two to three parties from each country. The discussions traditionally focus on longstanding conflicts and efforts toward their resolution.

Nurullayev emphasised the persistent challenges, noting that the Armenian opposition holds a rigid and one-sided stance, criticising Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for making concessions that they believe obstruct a peace settlement.

“We pointed out that Armenia continues to act as though it did not lose the war, insisting on negotiating from a position equal to the victorious Azerbaijan,” Nurullayev said. “Baku’s position is clear: rushing a peace agreement without addressing all outstanding issues would only pass unresolved problems to future generations.”

The Azerbaijani delegation underscored that for sustainable peace, Armenia must undertake several key actions: amend its Constitution, officially endorse the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group alongside Azerbaijan, halt provocative activities by the paramilitary group Yerkrapah in border regions, recognize the right of the Western Azerbaijani community to return to its historical lands, and put an end to separatist activities within its territory.

Nurullayev also warned that the Armenian opposition seeks to revert the negotiation process back to Russian mediation and plans to reverse reforms made under Pashinyan should they regain power.

“We once again reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s commitment to the peace process and called on the Armenian side to adopt an objective stance in the interests of lasting peace in the region,” he emphasised.

According to the MP, a similar meeting is planned for next year as well.

By Khagan Isayev