Azerbaijan and Armenia are at ‘real peace’ and rebuilding trade links after decades of conflict, a senior Azerbaijani official told Reuters. However, Baku is insisting on changes to Armenia’s constitution before a final deal can be signed.
Constitutional Changes
The South Caucasus neighbours had been at intermittent war since the late 1980s, mostly over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, before reaching a preliminary U.S.-brokered peace agreement last August. For Azerbaijan, a sticking point to signing a formal deal is the preamble of Armenia’s constitution, which contains a reference to another Soviet-era document calling for the reunification of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
A lasting peace could reopen trade and transport links across the South Caucasus, strengthening connections between Asia and Europe while reshaping the regional influence of Russia, Turkey, and Iran.
Trade and Transport Links
In an interview with Reuters, Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to Azerbaijan’s president and head of the president’s foreign policy department, praised the countries’ progress towards peace, including growing direct contacts and bilateral trade. ‘We are living in conditions of real peace. For Azerbaijan and Armenia, peace is not just something written on paper or contained in a declaration — it is a reality,’ he said.
Despite the progress, he said Baku maintained its stance on Armenia’s constitution. ‘The form of constitutional changes is Armenia’s internal matter,’ said Hajiyev. ‘What is important for Azerbaijan is that the provisions we regard as territorial claims against our country are formally removed, whether through the adoption of a new constitution or another legal mechanism.’
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
