Peace Agreement Signed Between Armenia and Azerbaijan after Decades of Conflict
War-worn Armenia and Azerbaijan reach truce agreement following almost four decades of conflict
In a groundbreaking move, Armenia and Azerbaijan announced a peace agreement on Thursday, signaling an end to nearly four decades of tension between the two former Soviet nations. The focus of their strife is the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous area home to around 120,000 Armenians. Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the region has been under the control of Armenian separatists for decades.
This breakthrough in the long-standing peace process comes as both nations agreed to the terms of the Agreement. As stated by Armenia's foreign ministry, the peace accord is "ready for signing."
Armenia accepted Azerbaijan's conditions concerning "two unresolved articles" of the draft agreement. According to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, these articles pertain mainly to the prohibition of deploying forces from third countries along the shared border and the mutual withdrawal of claims from international instances, with a commitment to not take actions against one another.
Despite this progress, hurdles remain. Azerbaijan demands that amendments are made to Armenia's constitution to eliminate any claims against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan before the peace treaty can be signed. However, Pashinyan declared that there have been "no discussions" regarding this demand.
Armenia's leader emphasized that the agreed text of the draft peace accord "addresses and resolves all these concerns." The Armenian leader also hinted at a potential constitutional amendment, calling for a "national referendum" to adopt a new constitution, though no date has been set for the vote or specific changes detailed.
Interestingly, tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan intensified in September 2023, after a swift Azerbaijani offensive resulted in total control of Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to the displacement of its ethnic Armenian population within weeks. The two nations had previously fought two wars over the region following the collapse of the Soviet Union, with temporary ceasefire agreements proving brittle.
Contributing Reporting by Christian Edwards and Max Saltman, CNN
Intriguing Insights:- The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the longest-standing ethnic disputes in the South Caucasus region, dating back to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.- The region's ethnic Armenian population is mainly composed of descendants of Armenians who were displaced from Azerbaijan during the Armenian Genocide in 1915.
- The peace agreement, agreed upon by Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2023, aims to put an end to the long-standing conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but has been under Armenian control for decades.
- Despite the progress made in the peace process, the brittle nature of ceasefire agreements in the past hints at potential hurdles in the future, as Azerbaijan demands amendments to Armenia's constitution before the peace treaty can be signed.
- The focus of the strife between Armenia and Azerbaijan is the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, home to around 120,000 Armenians, which is part of Europe geographically and historically connected to the broader world due to its complicated political and ethnic history.
