Armenia must end its hostility towards Azerbaijan for peace, analyst says

Armenia should stop working against Azerbaijan on international platforms if wants peace, says analyst

If Armenia is interested in signing a peace treaty, it should give up its territorial claim, stop working against Azerbaijan on international platforms, and stop arming, political commentator Aziz Alibeyli told Report.

The expert pointed out that the recent statements of the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides show a relatively constructive attitude, but the actual actions of Yerevan do not match their words: “The Armenian officials claim that they want peace, but they keep arming themselves. Their positive messages for peace are illogical. Armenia still keeps a part of Azerbaijan’s land under occupation. It is pursuing a serious political agenda to sue Azerbaijan in international courts, making territorial demands, and arming itself.”

Alibeyli added that this situation reveals that Armenia has a contradictory approach to the issue: “On one hand, there is a serious conflict, which worries the parties who want to facilitate the peace process in general, and on the other hand, the state officials express their wish for peace amid the tense atmosphere. This indicates that there is international pressure on both sides. This pressure influences the states’ obligations under international law. States cannot stay in war rhetoric.”

He also mentioned that Armenia should avoid provocative actions for the peace talks to yield results.

“The most intriguing question now is, "Could we have reached a result without war in some format with Armenia?" Of course not. Our relations with this country continued for three years after Armenia signed the surrender. After that, Yerevan should change their behavior so that we see a different picture. For instance, they should not use the most advanced weapons they will buy from France against Azerbaijan,” the analyst noted.