Armenia and Azerbaijan Finalize Peace Deal to End Four-Decade Conflict

Officials from Armenia and Azerbaijan announced today they have reached consensus on all articles of a landmark peace agreement. The breakthrough follows decades of territorial disputes and several wars over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov declared the negotiations complete after Armenia accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on the final two disputed articles. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the agreement readiness, stating they await discussions on the signing date and location.

The deal, formally titled “Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations,” represents a potential end to hostilities dating back to the Soviet Union’s collapse. Both nations fought two major wars since the late 1980s over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory.

Azerbaijan reclaimed most of the disputed territory during a 44-day war in 2020. The conflict ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire that shifted regional power dynamics significantly.

Azerbaijan completed its territorial control in September 2023 with a military operation that prompted nearly 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee Karabakh. The agreement reportedly includes major Armenian concessions.

Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Talks

Armenia will remove EU monitors from border areas and drop lawsuits against Azerbaijan in international courts. However, several contentious issues remain unaddressed, including the Zangezur Corridor and enclaves in both countries.

Azerbaijan maintains that formal signing requires Armenia to amend its constitution to remove perceived territorial claims. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has expressed support for constitutional revisions and called the draft treaty “a compromise.”

Both countries have agreed not to deploy foreign forces along their shared border after signing. The peace process has involved shifting international mediation, with the EU increasing its role as Russia’s influence waned following its Ukraine invasion.

If signed and implemented, this agreement would bring stability to a region devastated by conflict for nearly four decades. The timing of the final signature remains uncertain as both sides navigate remaining political hurdles.

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