BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 6. The peace process must be carried out exclusively under the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elchin Amirbayov said in an interview with Mundo Internacional, Trend reports.
"We have never been so close to concluding a peace treaty with Armenia. Azerbaijan is fully committed to achieving a lasting and irreversible peace. President Ilham Aliyev demonstrates a strong determination to seize this historic window of opportunity," he said.
E. Amirbayov noted that since the end of the Patriotic War we have managed to achieve significant progress.
"Azerbaijan has regained control over its territories, which has changed the geopolitical picture of the region. Today, there are no more foreign troops on our land, and this has created favorable conditions for dialogue
It was we who proposed five basic principles that should form the basis of the peace treaty. Armenia accepted these principles, and for more than two years our delegations, led by the foreign ministers of both countries, worked on preparing the text. In March of this year, we announced that the draft agreement in its final version had been agreed upon,” he said.
E. Amirbayov emphasized that the agreement stipulates that the parties undertake to mutually recognize the territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, renounce any current or future territorial claims.
"Armenia, despite its political readiness, faces a legal obstacle: its constitution still contains a provision on the annexation of the Azerbaijani region of Karabakh, which is incompatible with the provisions of the treaty. We explain to the Armenian authorities that this constitutional norm must be changed so that in the future a change of power in the country does not lead to a resumption of the conflict on its basis. We cannot allow future generations to face war again.
Secondly, we insist that this process should be carried out exclusively under the leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan. International mediation is no longer required. In this regard, we call for the dismantling of outdated structures such as the OSCE Minsk Group and other platforms created in the 1990s that have not produced tangible results. These formats have lost their relevance and are effectively inactive after 2020," he said.
E. Amirbayov noted that if these two obstacles are removed, the parties will be able to move towards signing a peace treaty.
"The ball is now in the Armenian government's side. A lasting and irreversible peace is possible, but it requires bold and far-sighted decisions," he said.