Pashinyan targets peace deal with Azerbaijan before Armenia elections

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says his government aims to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan before the country holds parliamentary elections in June 2026.

Speaking in an interview with Armenia’s Public Television, Pashinyan said the signing of a peace agreement remains a priority on the government’s agenda ahead of the vote scheduled for June 7, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

He said earlier timelines for signing the agreement had already been discussed, noting that negotiations on the draft peace deal were completed in March last year. He added that authorities would continue working towards finalising the agreement.

Pashinyan also referred to developments following political talks held on August 8, describing them as initially focused on political dialogue but increasingly shifting towards economic cooperation.

He said relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan were gradually moving in a direction where economic interests were becoming more prominent than political considerations, which he suggested showed that earlier political commitments were beginning to deliver results.

The Armenian leader said discussions with US Vice President JD Vance did not focus on border tensions or regional security issues. However, he acknowledged that post-conflict matters were still discussed.

Pashinyan also addressed questions about the TRIPP programme, which he described as an investment initiative linked to the August 8 political declaration. He said the programme had evolved from a political framework into an investment project led by the United States and implemented in Armenia.

He said the initiative aims to improve services linked to transport and transit routes, adding that advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, could be used to manage operations.

Pashinyan noted that the TRIPP programme is being implemented in Armenia and said he could not comment on possible developments in Azerbaijan. He added that border crossings in both countries would operate under their respective sovereignty, territorial integrity and jurisdiction, while access to transport routes and communications would be based on reciprocal arrangements.

By Aghakazim Guliyev