There is no mutual understanding as to which maps will be used to delimit borders; Yerevan only hopes that one fine day Aliyev will announce that he recognizes the territorial integrity of Armenia – 29,800 square kilometers.
In an interview with the Public TV, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, expressed the opinion that if the intensity of the negotiations is maintained, there is a possibility that the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be signed by the end of the year. Then he noted that Armenia would sign the peace treaty as soon as possible. A meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is planned for June 12 in Washington.
And on July 21, an appointment of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of the EU Council, and the President of Azerbaijan is planned in Brussels. Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the verge of peace, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeihun Bayramov announced the other day, speaking at the extraordinary session of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He added that Azerbaijan is actively working to ensure stable peace with Armenia.
It turns out that Baku is waiting for Yerevan to show the political will to resolve differences in three directions, which form the agenda of bilateral discussions on the peace treaty. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, what are those three directions? “Continuation of the illegal military presence of Armenia in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan,” “Yerevan’s interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan,” and “Hindering the dialogue between Baku and the local Armenian population of the Karabakh region.”
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In other words, no matter how official Yerevan declares that Baku’s claims about the presence of units of the Armed Forces of Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh are untrue, there are no Armenian troops in Nagorno-Karabakh, and only the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army exists there, Baku continues to make false accusations against Armenia. As for the accusations of “Yerevan’s interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan” and “obstructing the dialogue between Baku and the local Armenian population of the Karabakh region,” it is evident in these cases that Baku is already demanding that the official Yerevan stop talking about the problems existing in Artsakh. , because Aliyev considers that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” any issue related to them is their “internal problem.” Are Yerevan and Baku really “on the threshold of peace,” or are there grounds for signing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan before the end of the year?
As of now, it is clear that there is no mutual understanding on which maps will be used to deliminate borders, and there needs to be an agreement on creating an international mechanism for the Stepanakert-Baku dialogue. Also, there has yet to be an agreement regarding the international guarantor of implementing the peace treaty.
Official Yerevan has declared that it recognizes 86 thousand 600 square kilometers of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno- Karabakh. Still, Aliyev has yet to publicly say that he recognizes 29 thousand 800 square kilometers indicated by Armenia. For now, official Yerevan expresses hope that one fine day shortly, the President of Azerbaijan will publicly announce that he recognizes the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. Is Baku generally ready for peace, or is it striving for peace?
In other words, no matter how official Yerevan declares that Baku’s claims about the presence of units of the Armed Forces of Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh are untrue, there are no Armenian troops in Nagorno-Karabakh, and only the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army exists there, Baku continues to make false accusations against Armenia.
As for the accusations of “Yerevan’s interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan” and “obstructing the dialogue between Baku and the local Armenian population of the Karabakh region,” it is evident in these cases that Baku is already demanding that the official Yerevan stop talking about the problems existing in Artsakh. , because Aliyev considers that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” any issue related to them is their “internal problem.” Are Yerevan and Baku really “on the threshold of peace,” or are there grounds for signing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan before the end of the year?
As of now, it is clear that there is no mutual understanding on which maps will be used to deliminate borders, and there needs to be an agreement on creating an international mechanism for the Stepanakert-Baku dialogue. Also, there has yet to be an agreement regarding the international guarantor of implementing the peace treaty.
Official Yerevan has declared that it recognizes 86 thousand 600 square kilometers of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno Karabakh. Still, Aliyev has yet to publicly say that he recognizes 29 thousand 800 square kilometers indicated by Armenia. For now, official Yerevan expresses hope that one fine day shortly, the President of Azerbaijan will publicly announce that he recognizes the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. Is Baku generally ready for peace, or is it striving for peace?
How is the border situation changed in recent days? The Azerbaijani armed forces have been violating the ceasefire regime for several days, and the Ministry of Defense of Artsakh regularly makes statements. For its part, Baku blamed the Armenian side for “shooting.”
Moreover, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has distributed messages with similar content almost every week for over three months. The military department of Armenia continues to call these claims misinformation. What is the goal of Baku, which is on the “threshold of peace”… Back in March, Pashinyan, referring to the frequent accusations of the Azerbaijani military department, stated that the Azerbaijani propaganda creates a media background for a large-scale attack. “Azerbaijan’s state and near-state propaganda created a media background for a large-scale attack on Nagorno-Karabakh for a long time, and the tendencies of tension are also visible on the ground,” Pashinyan said.
Of course, it can be assumed that Baku is putting pressure on the Armenian side by threatening to prepare possible military operations to extract the desired results. But it is also clear that Baku has set such a bar of demands that it will use military operations in case of failure of any of its goals. The fact that Baku considers the existence of the Artsakh Defense Army a threat to it is easy to guess that they are close to carrying out a special operation, which Aliyev has already hinted at. Therefore, under these conditions, the possibility of signing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan by the end of the year seems to be the fantasy genre․
Emma GABRIELYAN
“Aravot” daily 08.06.2023
P.S. On June 8, the Armenian Foreign Ministry announced that the next round of discussions scheduled for June 12 in Washington was postponed at the request of the Azerbaijani side.
