Armenia has never fully enacted its formal independence, reads an article by the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Elin Suleymanov, published in the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, Report informs.
The article says that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, at the recent celebration of the Abraham Accords anniversary in London, highlighted the current and future benefits for participant nations as a result of the accords and that the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, made the right choice in favor of sustainable peace and development of the region.
Although the context is different in the Caucasus, a similar emphasis on the dividends of peace stands as a key element in normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In a bold and rare move, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev proposed full normalization to Armenia immediately after Azerbaijan’s decisive military victory and cessation of hostilities in November 2020.
This offer came despite the pain of the three-decades-long illegal occupation by Armenia, mass displacement of population and indiscriminate Armenian missile attacks against civilian cities during the 44-day war.
As a leader of an independent, rapidly growing nation, Ilham Aliyev understands that lasting peace is the best guarantee for sustainable security and development for the entire region.
Therefore, Azerbaijan presented a five-point basis for a peace agreement, which included mutual recognition of territorial integrity and delimitation of borders.
According to the ambassador, what is needed now is for Armenia to act and move beyond vague statements, with contradictory caveats, toward real peace. Not to delay the peace process of kicking the can down the road or playing international actors against each other, but to assume responsibility for Armenia’s own future.
Having foreign military bases on its soil and foreign guards protecting its borders, Armenia has never fully enacted its formal independence. Therefore, Yerevan’s desperate appeals for external support, be it from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, France or neighboring Iran, while futile, are not altogether surprising.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan is focusing on rebuilding and reviving the lands devastated by senseless Armenian occupation with the participation of international partners, including British and Israeli companies. Armenia’s delay tactics, once again, come at the expense of its own future.
A recent and long-awaited decision of the Azerbaijani Parliament to open the embassy in Israel solidifies the partnership between the two countries through a formal diplomatic presence. Moreover, as a strong supporter of peace between Israelis and Palestinians and a friend of the Palestinian people, Azerbaijan also announced the opening of a representative office in Ramallah.
With turmoil around the region growing in intensity and tensions in the wider neighborhood increasingly inflamed, it is time for Armenia to take a cue from the Accords and, for once, not miss a historic opportunity for peace by looking towards the future, rather than dwelling on its past.