Belarus president hails significant progress in Azerbaijan-Armenia normalisation

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko praised the significant progress made in normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

"You spoke extensively about the Azerbaijan-Armenia settlement. To my surprise, it was received quite positively, which indicates that a lot of groundwork had already been done," Lukashenko remarked, reflecting on the outcomes of the CIS Heads of State summit held in Moscow on October 8, Caliber.Az reports, citing Belarus media.

The Belarusian president also expressed optimism over the unified stance of summit participants, noting the absence of disagreements on global issues.

"Over the past two days, we had the opportunity to discuss global matters—hotspots on our planet. What pleased me, and I’m sure you as well, is that there were no differences in our views on the international agenda. We also discussed internal issues in an open and straightforward manner," Lukashenko stated.

The meeting reflects a growing sense of optimism around the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, a long-standing point of contention in the South Caucasus region.

Previously, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev stated that it would be "simply impossible" to reach a peace deal with Armenia as its constitution contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

Armenia’s Declaration of Independence, signed in August 1990, includes a joint decision by the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Karabakh Council to "reunify the Armenian SSR and the Mountainous Region of Karabakh".

By Khagan Isayev