Information
The European Union has congratulated Armenia and Azerbaijan for finalizing a peace deal aimed at resolving their long-standing conflict, encouraging both nations to sign the treaty soon. The agreement comes after both sides concluded negotiations and settled on the text of the treaty. European Council chief Antonio Costa and French President Emmanuel Macron hailed this as a crucial step toward normalizing relations and opening the region. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry announced its readiness to sign the deal, having accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on two previously unresolved points, while Baku confirmed the negotiations were over but stressed that Armenia must amend its constitution to renounce territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has centred on the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which, while legally part of Azerbaijan, operated as a breakaway territory with Armenian backing for decades. The two countries fought wars over the region in the early 1990s and again in 2020, with Azerbaijan reclaiming the territory in a brief offensive in September 2023. This led to the exodus of over 100,000 Armenians, with Yerevan accusing Baku of ethnic cleansing. Despite years of failed negotiations, both nations now assert that a lasting peace deal is within reach, pending Armenia’s constitutional changes and final agreement on the treaty’s signing.
Source: dpa, AFP, Reuters
So what
Azerbaijan likely held a strong advantage over Armenia during these negotiations, largely due to Armenia’s diminished support from Russia. Until 2020, Russia had provided security guarantees to Armenia, including the deployment of Russian troops. However, when the Nagorno-Karabakh War erupted, Russia was hesitant to intervene, influenced by growing tensions between Putin and Pashinyan. This reluctance likely contributed to Armenia’s loss of the Nagorno-Karabakh region across two conflicts in 2020 and 2023. Now, with Armenia formally relinquishing any claims to the disputed territories, Azerbaijan’s position has only solidified.
Follow us to join the intelligence community!