For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan and Armenia have the opportunity to reassess their relations and recognize each other's sovereignty within internationally recognized borders, the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung said in an article titled "Armenia and Azerbaijan have a chance for a great peace," Report informs.
The article highlights that as a result of two military operations - the Second Karabakh War in 2020 and the one-day anti-terrorist operation on September 19-20, 2023 - "Azerbaijan has de facto achieved what Ukraine has been struggling for since 2014, with billions in support from the West and political backing - the restoration of its national sovereignty within the internationally recognized borders it had at the time of the collapse of the USSR in late 1991."
"For the first time in the post-Soviet period, Azerbaijan is exercising sovereignty over its entire territory," the author emphasizes.
The article says that the First Karabakh War, which began in 1988 before the collapse of the Soviet Union as a Soviet civil war, ended in 1994 with "a significant part of Azerbaijan's territory remaining occupied by Armenia."
"Now, for the first time since the Soviet Union's dissolution, both countries have the chance to reassess their neighborly relations within internationally recognized borders. The governments in Baku and Yerevan seem to recognize this, as dialogue is underway. Contacts are being maintained between the heads of state security services, as well as at the level of deputy prime ministers, foreign ministries, and chief foreign policy advisers. Representatives of the two countries' governments have already held about seven meetings," Berliner Zeitung said.
The bilateral negotiation format between Baku and Yerevan, without the participation of the EU or the US, has proven effective, according to the author. “Another such meeting in Berlin is reportedly approaching, and informal dialogue between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also seems assured.”
While it remains unclear whether a peace agreement will be signed before the COP29 climate conference scheduled for November in Baku, both sides are already discussing the establishment of diplomatic relations, marking a significant step towards lasting peace in the region, Berliner Zeitung says.