Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said a peace agreement with Azerbaijan by the end of 2024 was possible, while an adviser to President Ilham Aliyev affirmed his country’s commitment to resolve outstanding issues with Armenia through peaceful means.
Pashinian told Russia’s Tass news agency that Armenia was taking all necessary steps to ensure a peace deal. He stated that the "humanitarian crisis" in Karabakh required energy and time "that should be spent on addressing the peace deal" instead.
Azerbaijan has reiterated its commitment to resolving ongoing issues with Armenia through peaceful means but has raised concerns about Yerevan's financial support for the "so-called regime in Karabakh," which Baku says is not contributing to peace.
Hikmet Hajiyev, an adviser to the Azerbaijani president, emphasized Baku's responsible standing in the international community in an interview published on Saturday by Tass, asserting that Azerbaijan consistently operates within the framework of its constitution and international law, always striving for peaceful resolutions to existing challenges.
Regarding potential compromises in negotiations with Yerevan, Hajiyev said Baku would not engage in discussions that jeopardize its territorial integrity and sovereignty, whether with Armenia or any other third party. On the peace process and regional developments between Azerbaijan and Armenia, he highlighted the negotiations based on five fundamental principles, including mutual recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty.
He pointed out that recent actions by the Armenian government, particularly Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's congratulatory message to the "self-proclaimed regime in Karabakh," have seriously harmed the process.
While Armenia has made public statements recognizing Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, the president's advisor noted that Armenia's financial support for the "so-called regime in Karabakh and the so-called regime's presidential election have not contributed to peace."
Hajiyev raised concerns about provocations by the Armenian Army along the border and in Karabakh but reaffirmed Azerbaijan's commitment to the peace process. He urged Armenia not to meddle in Azerbaijan's internal affairs and to respect its sovereignty. The peace process has been hindered by Armenia's continued support for an illegal regime on Azerbaijani territory, he said, emphasizing the need for opening the Aghdam and Lachin roads and calling for an end to Armenia's policies that stymie regional dialogue.
Armenia's policy of supporting the illegal regime that holds 30,000 ethnic Armenian citizens living in Karabakh hostage in Azerbaijan must end, the president's advisor said, adding that there is no room for "gray areas" in Azerbaijan.
He emphasized that any attempt to intervene in Azerbaijan's internal affairs by proposing international mechanisms for dialogue with the ethnic Armenian minority in Karabakh would be futile.
He discussed the potential opening of the Zengezur Corridor, emphasizing that it would primarily benefit Armenia. However, if Armenia refuses to cooperate, Azerbaijan is actively exploring alternative projects with other regional partners. The advisor expressed hope for a peace treaty by the end of the year and called on Armenia to take the main step toward recognizing Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, including Karabakh, by signing a peace agreement.
Separatist Armenians in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan held self-proclaimed elections last week to choose a new separatist president, a move that was not recognized by many, including Azerbaijan, Türkiye, the U.S. and the U.K. as well as the European Union.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions. In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.
However, tensions between the two nations continue despite ongoing talks over a long-term peace agreement.
Four-way talks
Meanwhile, Türkiye has extended a proposal to lead three-way talks about Karabakh, involving those two countries and neighboring Armenia, while also expressing readiness for four-way discussions that would include Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Saturday.
"We conveyed our proposal for a trilateral meeting under our leadership to them (Azerbaijan and Armenia). Beyond the trilateral approach, we also made a quadrilateral proposal," Erdoğan said at a news conference in Istanbul ahead of his departure for next week's U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York.
"There has been no response yet," he said of the four-way proposal, noting that he would also further discuss the matter with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev to closely monitor developments.