YEREVAN—Amid a push among Armenian leaders to sign a treaty with Azerbaijan before COP29, Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonyan has stated that Armenia and Azerbaijan are on the verge of reaching a peace agreement.
“In the context of the peace process that began in earnest months ago, Azerbaijan sought our agreement on five internationally recognized points. I am pleased to inform you that we have now reached consensus on 16 points,” Simonyan stated during his October 15 address at the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Geneva, according to the National Assembly’s press office.
Simonyan emphasized that the time for establishing peace is now, urging Azerbaijan to demonstrate political will and seize the moment to join Armenia in making this opportunity a reality. “Armenia is ready to sign a peace agreement, even today,” Simonyan concluded.
Meanwhile, a scheduled meeting between Simonyan and Sahib Gafarova, the President of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan, in Geneva was canceled. This was confirmed by Simonyan’s press secretary, Movses Harutyunyan. “The Azerbaijani side withdrew from the previously agreed arrangements at the last minute,” the statement read.
This comes after a discussion on October 14 between Simonyan and the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş.
In a recent post on X, Simonyan noted, “During the 149th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly, I had a meaningful meeting with Numan Kurtulmuş. We discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, the peace process in the South Caucasus and regional matters. I also presented the Armenian government’s ‘Crossroads to Peace’ initiative. We agreed to continue our communications moving forward.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on October 15 that the third meeting of the 3+3 regional consultative platform for the South Caucasus is scheduled to take place in Istanbul on October 18. This announcement follows a series of extensive discussions between Armenian and Turkish officials aimed at establishing bilateral relations.
Fidan emphasized Turkey’s stance that all regional issues should be resolved directly by the countries in the region. “Turkey is committed to the position that all regional matters must be addressed directly by the countries of the region. We continue consultations with South Caucasus nations through the 3+3 regional cooperation platform,” he said.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Ararat Mirzoyan, Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be in attendance. However, the Georgian Foreign Ministry has stated that Georgia will not participate in this session, maintaining its previous stance. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also confirmed that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will participate in the meeting.
Additionally, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and his Turkish counterpart, Mehmeh Kemal Bozay, reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate, emphasizing Ankara’s presidency of the regional 3+3 platform.
The 3+3 initiative, proposed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2020, aims to establish a framework for regional cooperation. The platform’s inaugural meeting was held in Moscow in 2021, followed by a second meeting in Tehran in 2023.
During his trip to Istanbul, Armenia’s Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan addressed the World Congress of the International Road Federation on October 15, highlighting the importance of establishing new, reliable communication channels and reviving previously operational transport infrastructures in light of current geopolitical conditions. He said that the development of robust infrastructure and equitable territorial growth are vital for ensuring sustainable development and the well-being of citizens worldwide.
“The complete unblocking of economic infrastructure among all states in the region, along with the enhancement of interconnectivity, are key priorities for the government of the Republic of Armenia,” Sanosyan stated. He reiterated the Armenian government’s commitment to fostering lasting and stable peace in the South Caucasus through its “Crossroads of Peace” initiative.
According to Sanosyan, Armenia is prepared to reactivate all transport routes traversing its territory and to establish new connections, ensuring the safe passage of all goods, vehicles, people, pipelines and power lines.
In alignment with the sentiments expressed by other government officials who are eager to finalize a peace deal with Azerbaijan, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan stated that Armenia and Azerbaijan are on the brink of signing a peace agreement, with a hopeful timeline set before the end of the year, potentially after the COP29 summit in Baku.
In an interview with “Armenpress” and “Shant TV” on October 12, Khachaturyan acknowledged the complexity of the peace process, noting Azerbaijan’s ongoing threats and shifting demands. He said that the peace agreement is crucial for Armenia, particularly given its geopolitical challenges. Khachaturyan expressed a desire for the two nations to finalize the agreement prior to COP29, although he noted this might not be feasible. He stressed that the core content of the agreement has been finalized.
The president stated that there must be patience in politics, asserting that Armenia’s commitment to peace remains strong. “But some issues are being brought in by Azerbaijani side resulting in everything getting delayed. But what has been done during the past years and what we have achieved now, and, are seemingly in the final phase, didn’t come easy,” Khachaturyan said.
The president also affirmed that Armenia has no desire for conflict. The country is focused on enhancing its defense capabilities while addressing economic and social issues. Khachaturyan concluded by reflecting on the broader regional context, stating that a gradual approach to peace is preferable to neglecting the process and facing the possibility of renewed conflict.
Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan has also recently proposed a two-day meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to finalize the one or two unresolved articles of the agreement. He also suggested that the leaders of both countries sign the treaty before the COP29 summit. This information was provided by Sargis Khandanian, chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Relations Committee.
While Armenian government officials continue to make a series of announcements regarding a potential peace deal, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has expressed skepticism about Armenia’s proposal to sign elements of a treaty that have already been agreed upon.
During a meeting with the Ambassador of Belgium on October 14, Aliyev described the Armenian government’s proposal to sign an incomplete agreement, while deferring unresolved points to future discussions, as unrealistic, stating that there are no precedents for such an approach. Aliyev criticized the Armenian side for making proposals that are unlikely to be accepted.
If negotiating from a position of weakness is not bad enough, that the Armenian side wants to rush a “peace agreement”, is even more foreboding. Because Armenia has very little leverage and has almost no cards to play, this “peace agreement” is bound to be an unequal treaty and a rushed one even more so. The problem is not only the current military and economic weakness of Armenia, but that it is led by incompetent leaders and negotiators on which the whole future of the country rests.
Negotiations – Turk style :
Erdogan and Aliyev, eating with tbeir fingers :
“Jump, dhimmi, jump!”
Pashinyan, dressed like the carpet salesman that he is :
“Yes, pasha!, how high, pasha?”
Oh if only Armenia had another Soghomon Tehlirian!
We all know what he’d do!
Somewhere out there in Armenia is a true leader waiting to emerge!
Armenia needs to sign a peace agreement with its arch enemy so that is does not give its arch enemy any pretext to initiate a new conflict. While peace treaties do not prevent aggression the aggressive party will be isolated by the international community if it has signed a peace treaty and then launches aggression towards its neighbour.
As for not having faith in the competency of current Armenian leaders or stating Armenia should not sign a peace agreement from a weak position what is the alternative? Do we seriously believe Armenia will achieve military superiority in the next decade or two over Azerbaijan? Likely not. And coming back to the issue of competent leaders. Armenia was engaged in peace negotiations for more than 20 years with Azerbaijan. Those so called competent Armenian leaders failed to convert the 1994 victory into a permanent peace. Those competent Armenian leaders failed to unite Artsakh with Armenia or recognise its independence for more than 20 years. Those competent Armenian leaders instead allowed Azerbaijan time and opportunity to become stronger and with force reclaim Artsakh and threaten the sovereignty of Armenia. There has not been any competent Armenian leaders since the ceasefire of 1994.
Hagop – Well stated. In my opinion the very existence of Armenia is in peril. Publicly airing our discomfort with the policies of the Armenian government does not help in our outreach to the United States government. The officials living in Armenia have a much better perspective of what needs to be done than Americans thousands of miles away.
Hagop
All so true and alas how few Armenians seem to realise whilst attempting to conclude promptly this year is rash, prevarication as practiced from 1994 allowed Azerbaijan to reconstruct it’s military and in 2020 was able to in weeks what it had taken Armenia years to gain in previous conflict.
who is this international community? They are toothless and only issue condemnation. Worthless.
THE MASSIVE FAILURE OF ARMENIA WHEN FIGHTING FOR ARTSAKH IN 1994 WAS NOT TO STEAMROLL THEIR ARMIES AND TANKS ALL THE WAY TO BAKU TO MAKE THE AZERIS BEG FOR PEACE ON THEIR KNEES. ONLY THEN, ARMENIA WOULD HAVE HAD LASTING PEACE. NOW, ARMENIA NOT ONLY LOST ARTSAKH, BUT IT IS NOW ON ITS KNEES BEGGING FOR PEACE TREATIES FROM THE ENEMY IT SHOULD HAVE DESTROYED IN 1994. DURING WAR, YOU FINISH OFF THE ENEMY, NOT STOP HALF-WAY.
@Truth Armenian:
You say that in war, “You need to finish off the enemy, not stop half way.” Isn’t that what the Turks did (or tried to do) to us in 1915? It’s called genocide and it’s genocide whether the Turks do it us or we do it to them. How about moving the conversation from destruction to construction? How much more of our blood and future generations must be spilled to feed the rage of past injustice. We are smarter than the destruction we know oh so well. Like it or hate it, we need to accept that our demonized enemy is also our future partner in peace. I choose peace to end this vicious cycle. I choose it for my children and for the future of our homeland.
@Vahe Nazaryan
Turks cannot be trusted.
They are born barbarians and have no civilised values whatsoever.
Think of all the women in your family.
We all know what the Turks do to Armenian women.
Do I even have to say?
@Vahe Nazaryan,
@Truth Armenian was clearly talking about the enemy combatants and those who picked up arms against us and not the enemy non-combatant population. Killing every single one of the enemy soldiers and alike does not constitute genocide. Wiping out your enemy combatants for your survival, even to their last man, is called patriotism and not genocide. State-sponsored terrorism that targets and murders unarmed non-combatant civilian population with premeditation to put an end to their physical existence, in part or in full, is what defines and qualifies as genocide and that is exactly what the Turks did to Armenians. The two are not the same!
@vahe Nazaryan
That a loser and defeatist attitude that will get us genocided
Turks are bloodthirsty.. too bad you don’t understand the turk mentality
“Those who don’t know history are condemned to repeat it” – and your cuckold attitude will be the death of Armenians
Armenia’s so called leaders sound like the supplicants and sycophants that they are. Make no mistake about this, the regime in charge of Armenia is untrustworthy.