Azerbaijan, Armenia agree on peace treaty text after decades of conflict

Azerbaijan and Armenia have reached an agreement on the text of a long-awaited bilateral peace treaty after decades of conflict and nearly five years of negotiations. The announcement came on Thursday, though the document has not yet been formally signed.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov first disclosed the development in Baku, saying that the two sides had agreed on the text of the treaty. This was later confirmed by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, which, however, emphasized that Yerevan had initially shared information through diplomatic channels before Baku made a public statement.

One of the key points in the negotiations was Armenia’s agreement to a constitutional amendment proposed by Azerbaijan, a proposal it had previously resisted. The Armenian Foreign Ministry also confirmed that Yerevan had accepted two provisions that had remained unresolved until now, including the constitutional revision.

Multiple media reports suggest that the treaty does not include Azerbaijan’s long-standing demand for the so-called ‘Zangezur Corridor,’ which has been a point of contention between the two sides for several years. Armenia had consistently opposed this demand.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had hinted at an imminent breakthrough in the talks a day earlier, stating on Wednesday that an agreement could be reached in the near future.