Armenia proposes renewed peace treaty to Azerbaijan
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (far R) and Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov (far L) attend a meeting hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C), Washington D.C., U.S., July 10, 2024. (AP Photo)


Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says they offered a new peace treaty to Azerbaijan that includes 13 of the 17 agreed-upon articles of a broader peace deal.

Pashinyan said on Saturday Yerevan offered Baku to sign a peace treaty that included the agreed-upon articles and left the remaining issues for future negotiations.

"We have reached consensus on the majority of the articles and suggest signing a peace treaty based on these agreed points," Armenian news outlet Armenpress reported quoted Pashinyan as saying.

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have remained tense since 1991, when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and talks on border demarcation.

Last September, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh following an anti-terrorist operation in September last year, after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Pashinyan also proposed a border meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to help advance the peace process. He acknowledged that, while trilateral talks with Russia are not out of the question, Armenia prefers to focus on bilateral negotiations with Azerbaijan at the moment. He emphasized Armenia's commitment to the cease-fire agreement with Azerbaijan, but expressed concern over inconsistent statements by "some partners" in Russia, which he believes have hampered regional connectivity efforts.

He reiterated Armenia's willingness to establish a link between Nakhchivan and Azerbaijan, while insisting that territorial integrity and sovereignty are non-negotiable. Regarding Armenia's participation in the upcoming 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said the decision would depend on the evolving situation.