Page 44 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine April 2025

44 I Eurasia bne April 2025
News of the deal was announced by Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and confirmed by Armenia's foreign ministry. / Jeyhun Bayramov via X
Azerbaijan and Armenia reach
agreement on historic peace deal
Cavid Aga in Ankara
Armenia and Azerbaijan have announced the completion of negotiations on a peace agreement, setting the stage for the formal end of over three decades of hostilities.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told journalists on March
13 that the final sticking points in
the negotiations had been resolved, with Armenia accepting the last two outstanding provisions. Armenia’s foreign ministry echoed the statement, acknowledging that the text was ready and that discussions would now focus on the timing and location of the signing.
Yet, while both sides publicly endorse the deal, deeper structural and political obstacles remain, particularly regarding constitutional amendments in Armenia and long-standing territorial disputes.
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Obstacles to implementation
The peace deal represents the most serious attempt at reconciliation since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but it is also the product
of intense geopolitical pressure.
Both governments have framed the agreement as a necessary compromise – Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan explicitly stated that such trade-offs were essential to securing peace. However, Azerbaijan has insisted that constitutional changes in Armenia must follow as a precondition for the agreement’s full implementation, particularly the removal of references that implicitly challenge Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Karabakh.
Moreover, while the document outlines mutual recognition of territorial integrity, it sidesteps some of the most contentious territorial disputes. Issues
surrounding Soviet-era enclaves, the so-called Zangezur corridor, and border demarcations remain unresolved, suggesting that while this agreement may establish a framework for peace,
it is unlikely to be the final word on regional disputes.
A key Armenian concession appears to be the withdrawal of EU monitoring missions from the border and the waiver of international legal claims against Azerbaijan – two longstanding demands from Baku.
Yet, Azerbaijani officials have declined to comment on the specifics, fueling speculation over the extent to which Armenia’s government had to cede ground to secure the deal.
Pashinyan’s domestic position is fragile, with significant opposition to