Establishing peace is absolutely essential, but the liberation of Armenia’s sovereign territories from Azerbaijani occupation cannot be postponed or consigned to oblivion. This is precisely what my article published in the American Washington Times is about.
Since 2021, Azerbaijan has occupied more than 200 square kilometers of Armenia’s internationally recognized territories in the regions of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and Gegharkunik, and in terms of de facto control, many additional hundreds of square kilometers. After numerous negotiations, not a single centimeter of Armenia’s territory has been returned; not a single occupying unit has been withdrawn. The military reality created by armed force has been preserved, while diplomacy continues as if this fact were secondary.
In reality, the process must be tied to obligations. Otherwise, this sets a dangerous precedent and sends the wrong message—both to the Azerbaijani leadership and to bad actors worldwide—that territorial occupations achieved by force can be held indefinitely, provided negotiations continue. It signals that if they wait long enough, they can legitimize what they have seized and evade accountability.
The agreements related to the Trump route recorded last August may have been delayed or even destroyed Azerbaijan’s plans to occupy Syunik. Agreements on transport corridors, regional integration, or confidence-building cannot exist if territorial occupation continues in parallel.
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After the August 8 meeting in the United States, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev publicly described Armenian society as “sick”. Azerbaijan continues to advance a state-sponsored narrative according to which all of Armenia is “ancient Azerbaijani land”. Such language is incompatible with reconciliation. It is the language not of coexistence but of hierarchy, not of compromise but of coercion and racism.
Lasting peace will be established only when negotiations are based on a simple principle: borders cannot be changed by force, and occupation cannot be rewarded over time. Guided by this logic, we will proceed during our time in governance—we will achieve peace, but it will not be a peace dependent on the “goodwill” of the occupier; it will be a peace that is the result of concrete mechanisms and guarantees firmly put in place.
Arman Tatoyan
“Wings of Unity”