YEREVAN—The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced on March 13 the completion of negotiations on the draft treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to the MFA, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on the non-deployment of third-party forces along the border and the withdrawal of legal claims from international courts.
While announcing that Armenia had agreed to the final two points of the agreement, Azerbaijan continued to press for additional concessions. The MFA reiterated its long-standing demand for Armenia to amend its constitution, specifically to exclude “claims against Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Additionally, the MFA called for the disbandment of the OSCE Minsk Group, which it labeled “obsolete and dysfunctional.”
Armenia’s MFA confirmed that Armenia accepted the final two points of the treaty and proposed issuing a joint statement, but Azerbaijan opted for a unilateral statement instead. The Armenian MFA added that Armenia is prepared to implement the agreement, once the timing and location of the signing are agreed upon.
Negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan began after the 2020 war, which ended with a trilateral ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia. However, mediation efforts stalled, and in September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a blitzkrieg attack, taking control of the entire Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh region and leading to the ethnic cleansing of over 100,000 Armenians.
Following the announcement of a completed draft treaty, opposition lawmakers have voiced strong criticism, accusing the government of capitulating to Azerbaijan’s demands. Ishkhan Saghatelyan, representative of the ARF Supreme Council of Armenia, expressed concerns about the negotiation process. “Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has not engaged in any direct negotiations with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and as a result, the agreements reached thus far cannot ensure peace or stability,” he wrote in a Facebook post on March 13.
Saghatelyan argued that the agreements have not secured any substantial benefits for Armenia, noting that they “fail to clarify the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, do not guarantee the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenia’s occupied territories, do not prevent further aggression by Azerbaijan and do not address the right of return for ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh as outlined in the November 9 trilateral ceasefire agreement.”
Furthermore, Saghatelyan pointed out that the agreements “do not resolve the issue of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan.” He also expressed strong opposition to what he perceives as Pashinyan’s written commitment to amend Armenia’s constitution, stating, “We will not allow Azerbaijan’s demands to dictate changes to Armenia’s fundamental law.” Saghatelyan expressed confidence that “the majority of the Armenian public will stand against any such constitutional amendments.”
Member of Parliament from the “Hayastan” faction, Kristine Vardanyan, said that the Armenian authorities have agreed to a deal that reflects Azerbaijan’s key demands. “You’ve received an agreement that reflects all of Azerbaijan’s conditions. How is this a compromise on Azerbaijan’s part?” Vardanyan said during a parliamentary meeting on March 14.
She highlighted several contentious points, including Azerbaijan’s public demands for Armenia to amend its constitution and extradite Armenian citizens. “Azerbaijan has seized 200 square kilometers of our land as a result of your negotiations. Is this how they respect our territorial integrity?” she said.
Vardanyan concluded by criticizing the government’s handling of the negotiations. “Just an hour after you claimed everything was finalized, Azerbaijan introduced two new preconditions,” Vardanyan said, questioning the reliability of the negotiations and the government’s ability to protect Armenia’s interests.
Throughout the negotiations, Azerbaijan has demanded amendments to Armenia’s constitution, specifically the removal of a reference to the unification of Armenia and Artsakh in its preamble. This is a sensitive issue for Armenia, as it touches on core aspects of national identity and sovereignty.
Another significant issue is border delimitation, a process that has already begun. Armenia has agreed to proceed with demarcation based on the Alma-Ata agreement of 1991, which recognized Soviet-era administrative borders as international borders. During this process, Armenia has already handed over additional land in the Tavush region to Azerbaijan. Furthermore, the proposed “Zangezur Corridor”—a transportation route connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan through southern Armenia—remains a contentious issue.
Speaking with reporters on March 13, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan provided further details on the draft agreement. Initially, Armenia proposed that European Union observers be withdrawn only from demarcated sections of the border, with a full withdrawal contingent on the completion of the border demarcation process. However, Pashinyan clarified that the agreement stipulates the withdrawal of third-party forces from the entire common border.
Regarding Armenia’s shift in position on the withdrawal of observers, Pashinyan explained that the government had not altered its original stance but had adjusted its understanding based on the analysis of the text. He emphasized that the content of the agreement had been made public. “We have no secrets from our people. Each article has been made available,” Pashinyan stated. However, public demands for the complete text of the agreement continue to surface.
Pashinyan also confirmed that Armenia and Azerbaijan are now prepared to discuss the final terms of the agreement, including the timing and location of the signing.
Regarding potential constitutional amendments, Pashinyan clarified that there have been no discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan on this matter. He reiterated that following the Constitutional Court’s ruling last year, Armenia’s constitution no longer includes territorial claims against Azerbaijan. However, Pashinyan acknowledged that Azerbaijan’s constitution still contains territorial claims against Armenia, adding that the treaty should resolve these concerns.
When asked if Armenia would provide a corridor through Meghri or any other territory to Azerbaijan, Pashinyan initially referred to his “Crossroads of Peace” project and ongoing discussions regarding the unblocking of transportation routes. However, under further questioning, he answered unequivocally: “Yes, we will provide the road.”
In the wake of announcements from Yerevan and Baku regarding the completion of negotiations, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev stated during a speech on March 13 that trust in Armenia is “close to zero.” He reiterated Azerbaijan’s demand for changes to Armenia’s constitution and the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group. He also accused the French government of exacerbating regional tensions by supplying weapons to Armenia, accusing the latter of “preparing for a new war.”
In a March 14 interview, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov stated that once the treaty is signed, both Armenia and Azerbaijan will withdraw mutual claims in international courts. Mammadov added that the next steps depend on Armenia’s actions and confirmed that no immediate meeting between the foreign ministers is planned.
On March 14, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed that Armenia and Azerbaijan will simultaneously withdraw their international claims once the treaty comes into force. “Now, when the treaty will take effect, when the sides will withdraw the lawsuits, at the same time, the two sides will assume obligation to not file lawsuits against each other in the future around the issues that had existed between the sides prior to signing the treaty. It is assumed that in all disputes that we now have, the sides must reconcile,” said Mirzoyan.
In response to Azerbaijani calls for the abolition of the OSCE Minsk Group, FM Mirzoyan has suggested that its dissolution could be a natural outcome of the treaty, which would officially end the conflict and make further international mediation unnecessary.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan has raised concerns about the presence of the European Union monitoring mission along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. During his speech on March 13, Azerbaijani President Aliyev criticized the mission, accusing it of engaging in intelligence-gathering activities along Azerbaijan’s borders.
“The EU monitoring mission is, in fact, an EU intelligence mission. They stand by our borders day and night, like spies, searching for ways to infiltrate our territory. We also have sufficient intelligence data regarding the selective nature of this observation mission,” Aliyev stated.
Deputy FM Mammadov also alleged that the EU mission is engaged in intelligence activities. Mammadov said that Armenia’s purchase of weapons and the presence of international monitors on the border are key obstacles to achieving lasting peace.
Azerbaijani presidential advisor Hikmet Hajiyev stated on March 13 that if Armenia seeks peace in the region, it must closely cooperate with the ongoing judicial processes in Baku. Hajiyev emphasized that there are individuals in Armenia who have committed “war crimes against humanity and the Azerbaijani people,” and that they should be held criminally accountable.
In response to Hajiyev’s statement, Pashinyan stated, “There is no provision in the peace agreement draft that pertains solely to the Republic of Armenia and not to Azerbaijan. This is the essence of the agreement, and any situation can be subject to such interpretations. However, I reiterate, there is no provision in the peace agreement draft that concerns only one of the parties.”
Regarding Azerbaijan’s demand for the extradition of individuals involved in the Artsakh conflicts, including those it labels as “war criminals,” Pashinyan stated that there is no extradition clause in the treaty.
Political and military leaders of Artsakh have been illegally detained in Azerbaijan since September 2023, under charges of “terrorism,” “separatism” and “war crimes.” Their trial, held in a military court in Baku, has been closed to journalists, international observers and human rights organizations.
Hoory Minoyan
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