FM: Peace talks with Armenia ongoing, but no serious progress yet

Contacts with Armenia on the peace process continue on several fronts, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told reporters. 

According to the minister, at this stage in the normalisation process, no serious steps have been taken by Armenia so far, Caliber.Az reports via local media. 

"Azerbaijan has expectations from Armenia. This is the renunciation of territorial claims and the liquidation of the OSCE Minsk Group. We are following these processes. There are contacts, but there are no serious steps yet," the foreign minister 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. 

In turn, 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 Sabina Mamamdli