(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) April 19 marked a pivotal moment in thereconciliation between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Following bilateraldiscussions, Armenia agreed to return villages in the Gazakhdistrict to Azerbaijan, which it had previously occupied. Thisdecision, addressing a matter raised by Azerbaijan as far back as2020, particularly regarding the delimitation process in Gazakh,stands as another success for President Ilham Aliyev's strategicdiplomacy.
As Prof. Brenda Shaffer, faculty member of the US NavalPostgraduate School, pointed out, there's finally a recognition inYerevan of the necessity to take tangible steps towards improvingrelations with Azerbaijan.
"Armenia's agreement to withdraw from four Azerbaijani villagesit occupies illustrates that Yerevan now accepts setting borders bythe principle of territorial integrity based on the Soviet eraborders. Yerevan's new move illustrates that Armenia and Azerbaijanare making progress toward a peace treaty or a set of normalizationagreements," she said.
And indeed, today Baku and Yerevan are closer than ever tosigning a peace agreement. Azerbaijan's comprehensive efforts areyielding results, while Armenia is reciprocating.
Former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza remarked onthis, noting that Prime Minister Pashinyan has already informed thepublic that Armenia must return these four villages to Azerbaijan,and that it's the right move.
"This is an example of Prime Minister Pashinyan showcasing hisdedication to a peaceful treaty and a border delimitation agreementwith Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister NikolPashinyan are both committed to reaching a peaceful resolution, andthis process is gaining momentum," he added.
One of the crucial aspects of these agreements is that Baku andYerevan have made progress without any interference from thirdparties. Right from the start of the settlement process, Azerbaijanhas insisted that all issues with Armenia should be resolvedbilaterally. It seems that Nikol Pashinyan now realizes thatneither Washington nor Brussels can single-handedly bring peace tothe South Caucasus.
Naturally, both the EU and the US have applauded the agreementsreached between Baku and Yerevan. In this regard, Brenda Shafferrightly pointed out that Western policy had previously been biasedagainst Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.
"It is good to see the US and Europe recognizing Azerbaijan'sright to territorial integrity. Up until now, both Washington andBrussels were very supportive of the right to the territorialintegrity of Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, but discriminatedagainst Azerbaijan. Glad to see this policy has ended," shenoted.
Of course, we can't overlook the presence of EU observers alongthe still tentative Azerbaijani-Armenian border and the immensepressure Armenia is facing, particularly from France. While theArmenian Prime Minister tries to shape the country's politicalcourse, there hasn't been much headway towards a peaceful agreementwith Azerbaijan. However, Paris's propaganda alleging thatAzerbaijan plans to attack Armenia and has territorial ambitionshas already been debunked. How to respond to Macron now, and whatto do with the hundreds of Europeans at the border, is up to NikolPashinyan.
Armenia must decide independently on the direction it wants totake in its politics and economy. Nonetheless, it's important toremember that dragging out the peace process with Azerbaijan willonly continue to impede Armenia's reintegration into key transitand energy projects in the region - something Yerevan aims for.
Brenda Shaffer believes that it's clear Armenia stands to gaineconomic benefits from making peace with Azerbaijan.
"Up until now, Armenia has resisted this, and the opening oftrade and travel infrastructure. The irony is that Armenia standsto benefit the most from the opening of trade in the region can connect to Central Asia. Likely if Armenia andAzerbaijan make significant progress toward a peace agreement,Türkiye will also open its border to trade with Armenia. This willcreate many opportunities for Armenia," she explained.
Positive signs are emerging from Yerevan more noticeably now. Itseems that the understanding has finally dawned in Yerevan thatwithout striking a peace deal with Azerbaijan, Armenia can't expectto expand its trade relations or gain access to Western and Easternmarkets, not to mention ensuring basic stability.
As Ambassador Bryza pointed out, if Yerevan sticks to itscurrent political path, a peace treaty could soon become areality.
"Back in December last year, a significant step was taken whenboth sides agreed not only on the prisoner exchange but also oncontinuing the peace process," Bryza reminded, stressing theimportance of maintaining such positive momentum.
Recently, wherever Nikol Pashinyan speaks - whether with Westernallies, the President of Kazakhstan, or in front of his ownparliament - he emphasizes Armenia's readiness to swiftly resolveall issues with Baku. However, his statements and actions have beeninconsistent. Despite four years passing since the end of theSecond Karabakh War, tangible progress towards signing a peacetreaty has yet to materialize. Perhaps Nikol Pashinyan believesthat it's better late than never.
While Armenia deliberates its next move, Azerbaijan continues tonotch up victories. From regaining full sovereignty in September2023 to the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers and now reclaimingcontrol over four villages - all achieved without firing a singleshot, solely through peaceful negotiations - it's evident thatPresident Ilham Aliyev's forward-thinking and steadfast policy areyielding results.
It should now be clear to Yerevan that there's no better optionthan the terms offered by Baku.
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