Azerbaijan's top diplomat stresses importance of peace deal with Armenia

ANKARA

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister on Wednesday 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 are concerning. Azerbaijan will continue its constructive efforts on this matter,” Jeyhun Bayramov said at a joint press conference in Ankara.

Bayramov spoke alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov following a trilateral meeting of the foreign, trade, economy and transport ministers of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
He also extended his condolences to those who lost their lives last week in a hotel fire in Türkiye’s Bolu province and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Bayramov highlighted discussions on key economic, trade, investment and transportation issues, noting that potential projects in the energy sector, particularly renewable energy, were also on the agenda.
He said the talks covered the Middle Corridor trade route as well as plans to expand the capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and Azerbaijan’s Alat Port.

Environmental cooperation was another focus, Bayramov noted, expressing gratitude to Türkiye and Uzbekistan for their active participation in the COP29 climate change conference, which was recently held in the capital Baku.

Bayramov said the three countries also discussed regional developments, particularly the situation in Gaza.

“We emphasized the importance of adhering to the cease-fire in Gaza. Azerbaijan supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions and will continue its diplomatic efforts in this regard,” he said.

He also commended Türkiye’s positive role in Syria, stressing the importance of Syria’s reconstruction and reintegration into the international system, and noted that Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan will cooperate on this issue.

Regarding reconstruction efforts in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh and East Zangezur regions, Bayramov thanked Türkiye and Uzbekistan for their contributions to rebuilding the liberated territories.

Ankara Declaration signed

During the meeting, the three countries signed the Ankara Declaration and a roadmap for cooperation in the transport sector.
Bayramov emphasized that the agreements reached at the trilateral meeting would significantly contribute to the region’s development and prosperity.

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.