On Tuesday, Azerbaijan once again rejected Armenia’s repeated proposals to sign an interim peace deal based on provisions both parties had already agreed on, that would leave unresolved disagreements for future discussion, reports Zartonk Media.
“The Armenian side proposes to conclude a peace agreement based on the provisions agreed upon to date. However, the Azerbaijani side considers such an approach unacceptable and has made this clear. There is a rule that a document is not considered agreed until all its points are agreed,” said Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Aykhan Hajizada, to local media.
Demands for the Zangezur Corridor
Additionally, Azerbaijan reiterated its demands regarding the opening of the “Zangezur corridor,” which would connect Azerbaijan’s western regions its occupied from Artsakh with Nakhichevan through Armenia. “Not fulfilling any point of the statement of November 10, 2020, which has actually become invalid, Azerbaijan demands Armenia to fulfill its ninth clause and ensure the opening of communications connecting Azerbaijan’s western regions with Nakhichevan,” Hajizada stated.
Azerbaijan’s Call for Constitutional Changes in Armenia
Azerbaijan also renewed its insistence on a change to Armenia’s constitution, which Baku claims contains “territorial claims” against Azerbaijan. According to Hajizada, this constitutional change remains a key precondition for the signing of any peace treaty between the two nations.
Addressing Remaining Contentious Issues
Hajizada emphasized that while around 80 percent of the draft peace treaty had been agreed upon, the remaining contentious provisions could not simply be excluded. He stressed that all unresolved issues across several areas must be thoroughly addressed for the peace agreement to be lasting, sustainable, and effective, though he did not specify what those issues were.
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Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan first publicly proposed the interim peace deal late last month. He has repeatedly emphasized that the two sides fully agree on the preamble and 13 of the 16 articles of the draft peace treaty. Despite its repeated rejections by Baku, Pashinyan has called for signing the incomplete peace deal, establishing diplomatic relations, and continuing discussions on the remaining sticking points.
On Monday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reiterated his preconditions for a peace deal, particularly his demand for Armenia to change its constitution, which Baku claims contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan. This constitutional change remains a key condition for Azerbaijan to sign the peace treaty.
