SHUSHA, Azerbaijan – Azerbaijan has proposed signing an interim document with Armenia that outlines the basic principles of a future peace treaty as the two nations continue to negotiate a broader agreement, a senior Azerbaijani official announced on Sunday. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have expressed their intent to finalize a peace treaty to resolve the ongoing conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that has been a source of tension for decades.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev noted on Saturday that the peace treaty text is 80%-90% complete. However, he emphasized that the agreement could not be finalized until Armenia amends its constitution to remove an indirect reference to Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence, a condition Armenia has rejected.
The ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh enjoyed de facto independence from Azerbaijan for over thirty years until a swift Azerbaijani offensive in September 2023 reclaimed the territory, prompting approximately 100,000 Armenians to flee. In recent months, both countries have sought to advance the peace process, including the demarcation of borders, with Armenia agreeing to transfer four contested border villages to Azerbaijan.
Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to the Azerbaijani president, told Reuters that a document on basic principles could act as a temporary measure to establish the foundation for bilateral relations and foster neighborly ties. This document could potentially be signed before Azerbaijan hosts the COP29 climate summit in November, Hajiyev added.
In June, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suggested that a peace treaty with Azerbaijan was nearing completion but maintained that Armenia would not concede to Azerbaijan’s demands to amend its constitution. Following these statements, clashes erupted between police and demonstrators, the latest in a series of protests against Pashinyan’s policies, including the return of villages to Azerbaijan and calls for his resignation.
On July 5, Constitution Day in Armenia, Pashinyan underscored the necessity of a new constitution that the people would view as their own creation, reflecting their vision of the state and the relationships among its citizens.