Azerbaijan at 'real peace' with Armenia but wants it to change constitution

Azerbaijan and Armenia are currently living in a state of "real peace," with trade connections being re-established following decades of conflict, a high-ranking Azerbaijani official told Reuters.

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We are living in conditions of real peace. For Azerbaijan and Armenia, peace is not just something written on paper or contained in a declaration, it is a reality.

Despite this progress, Baku maintains that a final peace agreement cannot be signed until Armenia amends its constitution. The sticking point for Azerbaijan is the preamble of Armenia's constitution, which references a Soviet-era document advocating for the reunification of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. This region was formerly an autonomous area within Soviet Azerbaijan before gaining de facto independence under an ethnic Armenian administration for three decades, until Azerbaijan's offensive in 2023 led to most of its 100,000 inhabitants fleeing to Armenia.

Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to Azerbaijan's president and head of his foreign policy department, described the current situation as "real peace," citing increased direct contacts and bilateral trade, including Azerbaijani oil product supplies to Armenia. He emphasized that for Azerbaijan, peace is a tangible reality, not just a declaration.

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The form of constitutional changes is Armenia's internal matter. What is important for Azerbaijan is that the provisions we regard as territorial claims against our country are formally removed, whether through the adoption of a new constitution or another legal mechanism.

"The form of constitutional changes is Armenia's internal matter," Hajiyev stated. "What is important for Azerbaijan is that the provisions we regard as territorial claims against our country are formally removed, whether through the adoption of a new constitution or another legal mechanism." He expressed confidence that once this issue is resolved, there will be no further obstacles to signing the final peace agreement.

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Once that issue is resolved, we believe there will be no obstacles to signing the final peace agreement.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has indicated a desire to hold a referendum to amend the constitution, with a draft expected by the end of the year. However, his party lacks a parliamentary majority, and the opposition's stance remains uncertain. Hajiyev also noted that Azerbaijan has received "serious and positive signals" from the United States regarding the potential commencement of construction on a U.S.-backed transport corridor in the region this autumn.

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Serious and positive signals