Azerbaijani FM: Between 2020 and 2023, Armenia took no sincere steps toward peace

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has stated that from 2020 to 2023, Armenia failed to take any sincere steps toward normalising relations with Azerbaijan.

The minister made these remarks during the "Təmas xətti" (Line of Contact) program on Azerbaijan's Public Television (İTV), per Caliber.Az.

Bayramov noted that while Yerevan avoided sincerity in the peace process during those years, Azerbaijan consistently advanced toward restoring its sovereignty and achieving lasting stability in the region.

“Between 2020 and 2023, there were no sincere steps from Armenia. We, on the other hand, advanced step by step toward restoring our sovereignty and completed this process in 2023,” Bayramov said. “Armenia, having realised these new realities, began taking real steps toward a peace agreement. Therefore, we should take this two-year period as a basis.”

The minister stressed that the progress achieved over the past two years — including agreements reached during negotiations in Washington — marks a crucial phase in shaping the region’s future.

“It is very rare to see a normalisation process between a victorious and a defeated country develop so rapidly in such a short time. No one can give a hundred per cent guarantee about 2026, but I am optimistic about the possibility of signing a peace agreement,” Bayramov said.

He also underlined that ongoing changes in Armenian society are fostering a more favourable environment for stability.

“Public discourse in Armenia is now changing. Society is beginning to understand the importance of normalising relations with its neighbours. This creates real grounds for the future,” Bayramov added.

By Khagan Isayev