Baku, Yerevan Reach Crucial Stage of Peace Agreement Negotiations – Azerbaijani Presidential Rep
Azerbaijan and Armenia are quite close to concluding a peace agreement, and Baku would also like to elaborate a mechanism for settling bilateral disputes, Azerbaijani Presidential Representative for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbekov said.
“What is important to understand is that at this crucial stage in negotiations, where apparently, we’re not that much far away from the final agreement, [is that] we do need a result-oriented exercise,” Amirbekov said.
He also said that Azerbaijan was awaiting Yerevan’s response to proposals on a peace agreement.
The agreement is based on five key principles; namely, mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders, mutual renouncement of any territorial claims, threats to use force, or the use of force, the delimitation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, and the reopening of communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Amirbekov said.
Baku would like to create a mechanism for settling bilateral disputes, he said, adding that this could be “an article which would speak about some kind of bilateral commission, which needs to be set up in order to address all those misunderstandings or differences in interpretations” of the agreement.
The link between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan “is crucial for us, in terms of national security” and as an alternate route within the Middle Corridor, Amirbekov said.
“We cannot waste any more time. After three years Armenia has not even started a feasibility study for the 42-kilometer leg [through the Armenian territory],” he said.
“Of course, we cannot force Armenia to implement what they had committed to, and it is nonsensical to suggest we would invade [Armenia] to impose this corridor through force or such like. So, we have reached out to Iran as a plan B to build a link by road and rail through Iran,” Amirbekov said.
The alternate route “might make Armenia to realize how much they may lose” if it continues to resist opening a road through its territory, he said.
