Parliament Speaker: Peace agenda with Armenia progresses gradually

Tomorrow, our nation will celebrate Victory Day, marking the historic achievement of Azerbaijan’s Army under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, which secured victory four years ago, Milli Majlis Speaker Sahiba Gafarova said.

At the plenary session of the Milli Majlis held today, November 7, Gafarova highlighted that the peace agenda with Armenia is progressing step by step, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“Negotiations with Armenia on sustainable peace and stability continue,” Gafarova remarked. "We never forget the martyrs of both the First and Second Karabakh Wars, and we honour their memory with deep respect."

On November 8, 2020, Azerbaijan brought an end to the Karabakh war with a decisive victory over Armenian forces, ending decades of occupation. This day marked the liberation of Shusha, a key city in the Karabakh region, following weeks of intense counter-attacks by Azerbaijani forces, dubbed "Iron Fist." The liberation of Shusha was seen as a turning point in the conflict, leading to the eventual surrender of Armenian forces and the signing of a tripartite ceasefire agreement on November 10, 2020.

In recognition of this victory, President Ilham Aliyev declared November 8 as “Victory Day” in Azerbaijan on December 3, 2020.

Meanwhile, on November 5, Armenia received new peace proposals from Azerbaijan. Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan confirmed, “Today, we received the Azerbaijani side's responses regarding the draft peace treaty (11th version),” marking an important step forward in the ongoing peace process aimed at stabilizing relations between the two countries.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan added that Armenia had sent a comprehensive set of proposals to Azerbaijan to help finalize the peace agreement. “We have sent the latest package of proposals and are awaiting a response from Azerbaijan,” Hovhannisyan noted.

The peace process has seen multiple rounds of negotiations, with both sides sharing proposals and feedback. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan recently suggested that Armenia is prepared to sign a peace agreement based on provisions already agreed upon. However, Azerbaijan has expressed that this approach is unacceptable and emphasized that several unresolved issues must be addressed.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Press Service head Aykhan Hajizada commented, “A document is not considered agreed upon until all clauses are fully reconciled.” He added that while about 80 per cent of the treaty’s clauses have been agreed upon, the remaining unresolved issues are critical. “For a peace agreement to be effective and lasting, the remaining points must be clarified across several areas.”

Hajizada stressed one major condition for progress: “For the draft agreement to be signed, Armenia must amend its Constitution to remove territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Until this is addressed, true peace between our countries cannot be achieved.”

By Tamilla Hasanova