Parliament speaker: Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process making positive headway

Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan provided an update on the ongoing peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia, offering optimism about their progression. 

During a briefing with journalists, Simonyan stated that discussions on the draft peace agreement continue, with work advancing according to the proposed options and their ongoing deliberations, Caliber.Az reports citing Armenian media.

He clarified that while there had been a pause due to COP29 in Baku, which the Azerbaijani side attributed to their workload, the process is now in a positive phase, with a cycle of proposals and discussions leading to positive dynamics.

In November, Simonyan noted that the issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have festered for over 30 years, are solvable with political will. He expressed confidence that both countries can resolve these long-standing issues. When asked about the potential for discussions on unblocking communications at the deputy prime minister level, he responded positively, suggesting that even small steps could lead to a successful outcome.

Regarding border demarcation, Simonyan praised the existence of a regulatory document as a "great victory" for both Armenia and Azerbaijan. He highlighted that its implementation is crucial for both countries' independence and territorial integrity. 

Regarding the process of delimitation and demarcation, the Speaker of the National Assembly stated, "There are various arguments, grounds, and issues that could influence how we move forward — whether to go south or start with Syunik. Discussions are ongoing on this matter."

However, when the conversation turned to Azerbaijan's demands for Armenia to amend its constitution to remove any territorial claims against Azerbaijan, Simonyan referred back to Yerevan's previous stance. Simonyan reiterated that "this issue has been resolved, and the decision of the Constitutional Court clearly showed that Armenia has no such problem." He added, "They have a problem in their Constitution as well, but we don’t raise it."

Armenia's constitution preamble contains a reference to the declaration of independence of this country, the text of which, in turn, contains territorial claims to the Republic of Azerbaijan. In this context, official Baku demands amendments to the Armenian constitution to move forward on the peace treaty. 

On October 15, Simonyan reiterated Armenia's readiness to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, stating that Yerevan is prepared to finalize the deal "even today." He urged Baku to demonstrate political will and seize the opportunity to achieve lasting peace, underscoring that both nations are on the verge of an agreement.

However, there were discrepancies in the approach to the peace treaty. While Armenia had proposed signing 13 out of 16 agreed-upon points of the draft agreement, leaving some unresolved provisions, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry rejected this approach. Spokesman Aykhan Hajizada termed Armenia’s proposal to exclude certain provisions as "unacceptable," stressing that leaving key issues unresolved would not foster sustainable peace.

By Tamilla Hasanova