CoE official: Peace efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia deserve support

Luxembourg Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), Xavier Bettel, has said that he welcomes every step towards peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

He made the remarks at the spring session of the CoE that began this week, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

"We should be happy about the positive steps towards the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Although these successes are not yet enough, every step towards peace is important for us, and we should support it," he said.

On March 13, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the completion of negotiations on the text of the draft Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between Baku and Yerevan. The last two points agreed upon were related to the non-deployment of third-party forces along the common border and a mutual waiver of claims in international courts. 

On the Armenian side, the Armenian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Armenia had accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on the two remaining disputed issues. This development signals that the peace agreement is now ready for formal signing.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also confirmed that both countries had agreed on the terms of the draft treaty and reiterated Azerbaijan’s commitment to advancing peace and stability efforts in the South Caucasus.

By Khagan Isayev