Int'l interests: Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization journey

By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Against the backdrop of recent EU-mediated efforts to ensure a direct bilateral platform of talks between Baku and Yerevan, Moscow and Washington have recently expressed their willingness to assist Azerbaijan and Armenia in reaching a comprehensive peace treaty.

The most recent episodes, which seem to accelerate the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization process, are a clear indication that these predictions may become reality soon.

The first direct contact between Baku and Yerevan in many years that was not mediated by the OSCE, EU, or Russia; a series of new statements by Armenia's Prime Minister reaffirming that there is nothing unacceptable in Baku's five-point peace proposal and that there is no alternative for a peace agenda, emphasizing the inimical effect of being the only country that does not recognize Azerbaijan's territorial integrity - a first-rate ally of Turkey; President Ilham Aliyev's recent remarks expressing determination to move forward with practical value to achieve peace between the sides - the mere concept of all of this could not have been imagined a few months ago.

It is noteworthy that the April 6 trilateral meeting in Brussels between Aliyev, Pashinyan, and EU Council President Charles Michel paved the way for the acceleration of the signing of the peace treaty, marking it as an undeniably positive omen in the normalization process.

International interests

Some time ago, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov admitted that France and the U.S. refused to cooperate with Russia within the OSCE Minsk Group format.

Russia, which made the statement after the Brussels meeting, itself initiated its withdrawal from the already defunct group. To be clear, Russian co-chairman in the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev will continue his work in a new capacity. Moscow appointed him as the Russian foreign minister's special representative for promoting the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Moscow is determined to promote the conclusion of a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku.

"The basic principles for the establishment of interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia proposed by Baku and Yerevan's reaction to them are intended to serve as the basis for the start of Azerbaijani-Armenian negotiations on a peace treaty," she said.

She stressed that the focus of Khovayev's attention will be the preparation of the aforementioned peace treaty.

“We count on the support of the efforts of I. A. Khovaev from our allies and partners in Baku and Yerevan. Open for constructive interaction with other interested players," she added.

Soon after this statement from Russia, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Washington stands ready to help Azerbaijan and Armenia achieve comprehensive peace, including through the OSCE Minsk Group.

He stressed that the U.S. remains committed to promoting a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future for the South Caucasus region.

“We welcome, as you’ve heard from us before in the readouts from Secretary Blinken, the April 6 meeting between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels, including the positive momentum on preparations for peace talks and the formation of a bilateral commission on border delimitation,’” he noted.

He emphasized that they continue to encourage further peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Minsk Group’s utter failure

De facto, the Minsk Group does not exist; it is invalid. The truth exists, and it has been confirmed by high-ranking officials from these co-chair countries, as well as by President Ilham Aliyev.

“The Minsk Group was active for 28 years before the second Karabakh war. The result was zero. Although the mandate given to the Minsk Group to resolve the conflict is de jure in force, it can already be considered invalid de facto,” the president recently states.

As Aliyev noted under the current circumstances, the Minsk Group and its co-chairs are virtually non-functional. Therefore, of course, there can be no talk of any group activity.

In light of the very complex political regional picture, Azerbaijan, through President Ilham Aliyev, emphasized that it is in favor of doing tangible work and has a very clear vision for the region's future development. Azerbaijan is confident that the region will be peaceful, that the South Caucasus will be calm, and that the risks of war will be greatly reduced.