Armenia ready to complete normalization process with Azerbaijan, says top diplomat

ISTANBUL

Armenia is geared up to complete the normalization process with Azerbaijan through its "Crossroads of Peace" initiative, which includes economic and transportation ties, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced on Thursday.

“We are ready to finalize the normalization process with Azerbaijan,” Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Georgia's Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili following their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Yerevan, according to the Armenpress news agency.

The announcement comes a day after Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov underscored the importance of signing a peace agreement with Armenia while expressing concern over Armenia’s constitutional territorial claims against Azerbaijan and what he described as “revengeful tendencies.”

“A peace agreement is of great importance, but the fact that Armenia’s Constitution still contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan and the existence of vengeful tendencies in the country is concerning. Azerbaijan will continue its constructive efforts on this matter,” Bayramov said at a press conference in Türkiye's capital Ankara.

Mirzoyan said Armenia's "Crossroads of Peace" initiative is critical in the effort to normalize relations with Azerbaijan, expressing his country's commitment to the ongoing talks with Baku to establish long-term peace in the region.

He noted that the project envisions economic and transport cooperation across the South Caucasus and beyond, including infrastructure unblocking as part of the normalization process with Azerbaijan.

“Our government’s position remains the same. … We are unwaveringly committed to the peace agenda,” Mirzoyan added, stressing that Yerevan is working on a peace treaty, border delimitation, and regional connectivity projects.

Bochorishvili, for her part, highlighted the importance of regional stability and expressed Georgia’s support for dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"We hope that the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be concluded with the kind of terms that would be mutually acceptable," Bochorishvili was quoted by the Armenian media outlet as saying.

The meeting between the two foreign ministers also focused on bilateral relations between Armenia and Georgia, with discussions covering trade, transportation, and cultural cooperation.

Both officials underscored the significance of deepening economic and political ties to ensure sustainable development in the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijan-Armenia ties

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during the war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and the demarcation of their border.

Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh in September 2023, following an "anti-terrorist operation," after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have yet to sign a peace treaty and normalize ties.