Ex FM: Azerbaijan does not need half-baked peace treaty with Armenia

Former Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has said that he is in favour of direct negotiations with Armenia for the reason that the more mediators there are, the more they want to see their national interest in this issue.

He made the remarks in a video interview with Caliber.Az.

“There was a very interesting positive thing in the fact that in spite of all Armenia's lamentations, the proposal to open the road to Khankandi was voiced, and it deprived Yerevan of the argument about the so-called ‘blockade’. In the end, it is necessary to put there, on the road, an ‘Asan’ point for those Karabakh Armenians who may want to obtain Azerbaijani citizenship already now,” he said.

According to the former foreign minister, after the 44-day war, Azerbaijan has many trump cards in the negotiation process.

"And we need to press on, using all our political weight, because in these conditions we cannot agree to what will turn out to be a time bomb in the future. I don't rule out a military mess either. There is no need to rush to get a half-baked document. The document should be solid, for centuries, leaving no potential ulcer on the body of Azerbaijan. This process is underway, we are active participants in it. It is not simple; we have what we have. But gradual pressure on the situation takes place," Mammadyarov said.

He noted that in 2024 negotiations will not be the most active, because it will be unclear whether the term of stay of Russian peacekeepers on the territory of Azerbaijan will be prolonged or not.

"When specific deadlines for signing the document are announced, including by the end of this year, I think it is premature to think that there will be a peace treaty right now, especially given Yerevan's rhetoric. Yes, Armenians have dropped the topic of future postponed status of Karabakh and re-trained on the topic of rights and security of Karabakh residents, including Azerbaijanis," Mammadyarov emphasised.