Biden intends to write his name in history by rushing Azerbaijan, Armenia to achieve peace - OPINION

The recent actions of US President Joe Biden, sending his representatives to Armenia and Azerbaijan, and addressing letters to both states, indicate that he is not interested in achieving peace in the region, but simply intends to write his name in history, Fuad Huseynaliyev, the Director of the Report Information Agency, said on ARB24 TV.

Huseynaliyev recalled that presidential elections will be held in the US soon, and although Biden will not participate in this election, he is authorized until the inauguration of the newly elected president:

"In both letters, Biden noted that the US expects the peace agreement to be signed by the end of the year. This reveals Biden's intention to take the initiative for peace and write his name in history. The Armenian side states that they are ready to sign the agreement. They claim that 13 points or 80 percent of the peace agreement have been agreed upon between the parties. Armenia can take responsibility for the remaining issues."

He noted that from Azerbaijan's side, the concession could be to sign an agreement on the agreed points, leaving the remaining for later.

Huseynaliyev said that Azerbaijan's condition for signing a peace treaty is changing the Armenian constitution:

"I don't think Azerbaijan will sign a peace treaty without this being implemented. As a concession, we can do this: a referendum project, questions to be put to it, and changes to be made to the constitution are being prepared, and an active process is underway in Armenia. Perhaps then the Azerbaijani side would agree to sign the initial version of the treaty."

In his opinion, in any case, Armenia should commit to ensuring the removal of clauses against Azerbaijan from the constitution, either through a referendum or by other means.

The director of Report emphasized that the change of the constitution in Armenia is planned for 2027:

"But this is a very long process. Armenia also received the opinion of the Constitutional Court regarding the issue of the Independence Act's connection to the Constitution. Armenians are trying in every way to prevent the referendum from hindering peace. The main issue is the Armenian people's acceptance of peace, not making territorial claims against Azerbaijan in the future, and fixing this in the country's main law. If all these are not resolved, we are keeping a bomb that could explode at any moment for future generations."

Huseynaliyev said that signing a peace agreement by the end of the year is not realistic and noted that there are several stages in agreements.

He believes that initial signatures can be made on some agreed points. That is, these should not be revisited later, while more serious work should be done on the remaining points, and Armenia should prepare for a referendum.

The director of the agency said that only one or two points will change in the Armenian constitution. This is not a long process, they can hold a referendum in the summer of 2025, for example, instead of 2027.

Regarding the question of whether there can be a change in the US policy if the signing of the peace agreement is postponed to 2025, Fuad Huseynaliyev recalled that when Democrats are in power in the US, relations with Azerbaijan cool down:

"If Kamala Harris comes to power, she may not contribute to the peace process. I think Donald Trump, as a businessman, pragmatic politician, and representative of the Republican Party, will prefer peace. Trump won't be interested in the terms of peace. He will consider achieving peace as the main thing."