Peace between Azerbaijan, Armenia can be imminent, says Yerevan's top official

Azerbaijan and Armenia have made some progress on the issue of border delimitation in the Chisinau meeting, said Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan.

Grigoryan added that despite the progress the issue cannot be seen to be finally resolved, however, the sides are moving forward.

“Very intensive negotiations are being held between Armenia and Azerbaijan. If this intensity continues and there is strong assistance from the international community, then there is a possibility to sign a peace agreement before the end of the year. We are determined to sign the agreement as soon as possible,” Grigoryan said on the air of the Armenian Public Television, per News.Am.

According to him, Yerevan positively assesses the June 1 meeting in Chisinau between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia.

“This is a good opportunity to advance the peace agenda. The assistance of the international community to this agenda is very important,” stressed the Secretary of the Security Council.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have long been at odds over the latter’s Karabakh region. Following the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, Armenia launched a military campaign against Azerbaijan that lasted until a ceasefire deal was reached in 1994. As a result, Armenia occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories. Over 30,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis were killed, and one million were expelled from these lands in a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by Armenia.

On September 27, 2020, the decades-old conflict between the two countries spiralled after Armenia’s forces deployed in occupied Azerbaijani lands shelled military positions and civilian settlements of Azerbaijan. During counter-attack operations, Azerbaijani forces liberated over 300 settlements, including the cities of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, and Shusha. The war ended in a statement signed on November 10, 2020, under which Armenia returned the occupied Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts to Azerbaijan.

Shortly after the war, the Azerbaijani authorities voiced readiness and determination to launch negotiations with Armenia that would ultimately bring the long-awaited peace to the region.

However, the process suffered major setbacks due to Armenia’s demands, including so-called “rights and security” of nearly 25,000 Armenians living in the Karabakh region, in addition to avoiding fulfilling its obligations under the Trilateral statement, such as the withdrawal of its armed formations from the Azerbaijani territories.

President Aliyev has repeatedly said that the demands of the Armenian side would not be considered since Armenians living in the Karabakh region are the citizens of Azerbaijan and issues regarding their rights is Azerbaijan’s internal matter.