Peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan have gone awry

After several months of incremental progress that raised hopes that a lasting solution was at hand, the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process appears to have entered another retrograde phase.

Recent comments by Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, suggest that Baku has put a pause on negotiations. In an October 4 speech in Jabrayil, a city Azerbaijan regained control of in 2020, Aliyev warned Armenia against trying to rearm in order to reverse Yerevan’s loss of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Let’s not forget the history of the Second Karabakh War. Let’s not forget how they begged us on their knees for mercy, how they appealed to Russia at the highest level 10 times a day, asking to stop the war,” Aliyev said, referring to the 44-day conflict in 2020 , in which the Azeri Forces recaptured from Armenia most of the territory it had lost during First Karabakh Warwhich ended in 1994.

Aliyev’s speech came just days after a meet between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in New York, mediated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Following these talks, both sides pledged to step up efforts to conclude a peace treaty.

Aliyev’s speech appeared to brush aside that commitment, given that it also appeared sharp criticism of the United States and Blinken personally. The Azerbaijani leader noted that earlier on October 4, 60 pro-Armenian members of the US Congress called on the US administration to release political prisoners and possibly impose sanctions on Azerbaijan.

“It is a vile call and cannot influence our will,” Aliyev said. “The policy of hostility against us does not stop.”

“When I looked at this document, I suspected that its author and addressee are the same person, the Secretary of State of the United States,” Aliyev added, implying that Washington was playing a double game, promoting peace while claiming for sanctions against Baku. . Aliyev has also criticized other Western nations, notably France, which has been a strong supporter of Armenia in recent years.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement in response to Aliyev’s speech, stressing that the recent arms purchases were solely for defensive purposes. A ministry spokesman added that Yerevan recognizes the territorial integrity of all neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan. “Yerevan has no aggressive intentions towards any of its neighbors,” the ministry’s spokesman said.

In his speech to the UN General Assembly in late September, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said a peace deal with Azerbaijan was “within reach”. But just days later, and before Aliyev’s speech, the prime minister expressed doubts about Baku’s commitment to finalizing a peace treaty. Pashinyan’s seemingly contradictory statements only underscored the zigzag nature of the peace process.

Following Aliyev’s Oct. 4 speech, Armenian officials publicly asked whether Azerbaijan remained committed to establishing the framework for peace laid out in a document known as The Declaration of Alma-Ata. Baku has not yet responded officially. However, Aykhan Hajizade, a spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, dismissed Armenian claims that the arms purchase is purely defensive as disingenuous.

Officials in Yerevan have they have continuously claimed that they are ready to sign a peace treaty based on agreements already reached during negotiations, setting aside unresolved issues for further discussion at a later date. Baku, for its part, says no deal is possible unless Armenia amends its constitution to unequivocally recognize Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Karabakh.

Of Eurasianet.org

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