Armenia Announces Readiness to Sign Peace Agreement with Azerbaijan
Armenia has officially declared its readiness to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan, signaling a potential end to one of the most prolonged and bitter conflicts in the South Caucasus. The Armenian Foreign Ministry stated that a draft agreement has been finalized and that they are prepared to discuss the date and venue for signing the historic deal. The announcement comes after years of hostilities, intermittent peace talks, and geopolitical shifts that have significantly influenced the region.
A Conflict Rooted in History
The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, primarily centered around the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, has spanned more than three decades. The origins of the conflict date back to the late 1980s when the Soviet Union was nearing its collapse. Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian-populated enclave within Azerbaijan, sought independence or unification with Armenia, leading to ethnic tensions and escalating violence.
In 1991, as both Armenia and Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union, full-scale war erupted. The conflict, which lasted until 1994, resulted in approximately 30,000 deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Armenian forces, backed by the Republic of Armenia, took control of Nagorno-Karabakh and several surrounding Azerbaijani districts, effectively creating a self-declared but internationally unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
A fragile ceasefire brokered by Russia in 1994 left the region in a frozen conflict state, with occasional skirmishes and diplomatic negotiations failing to yield a lasting solution. However, the situation drastically changed in 2020.
The 2020 War and Azerbaijan’s Victory
In September 2020, after years of military buildup and rising tensions, Azerbaijan launched an offensive to retake Nagorno-Karabakh. The six-week war saw modern warfare tactics, including the extensive use of Turkish and Israeli drones, enabling Azerbaijan to make significant territorial gains. By November, Azerbaijan had reclaimed large portions of Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding districts.
A Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement was signed on November 10, 2020, effectively ending hostilities. As part of the deal, Armenia agreed to withdraw from several regions it had controlled since the 1990s, while Russian peacekeepers were deployed to maintain stability in parts of Nagorno-Karabakh. The war resulted in thousands of casualties and the displacement of Armenians from territories handed over to Azerbaijan.
September 2023: Azerbaijan’s Final Push
Despite the 2020 ceasefire, tensions persisted. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive, swiftly regaining full control over Nagorno-Karabakh. Within 24 hours, the self-declared authorities of the region surrendered, leading to a mass exodus of nearly all of the region’s 100,000 ethnic Armenians. This marked the definitive end of Armenian control over Nagorno-Karabakh, reshaping the regional power dynamics.
The international community, including Western nations and Russia, largely refrained from direct intervention, allowing Azerbaijan to solidify its gains. While Armenia condemned the attack and called for global action, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ultimately acknowledged that Yerevan had little choice but to accept Azerbaijan’s dominance over the region.
A Step Toward Peace?
Since the fall of Nagorno-Karabakh, negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan have intensified. The two nations have engaged in diplomatic talks mediated by the European Union, Russia, and the United States, aiming to establish a permanent peace agreement that recognizes each other’s territorial integrity.
Armenia’s recent declaration that it is ready to sign the agreement suggests a significant shift toward reconciliation. However, key issues remain unresolved, including the fate of Armenian cultural heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, border demarcation, and security guarantees for Armenia’s sovereign territory.
For Azerbaijan, the peace agreement would mark the final chapter in reclaiming its internationally recognized lands. For Armenia, it would represent a painful but necessary step toward stability and economic recovery after years of conflict and geopolitical isolation.