Azerbaijan and Armenia Sign Historic Peace Agreement

Strategic Insights -

Azerbaijan and Armenia have initialed a historic peace agreement, agreeing to renounce territorial claims and establish diplomatic relations. The agreement, initialed in the presence of the two nations' leaders and US President Donald Trump, aims to bring a lasting peace to the region, ending decades of intermittent fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory. The agreement sets out a comprehensive framework for peace and inter-state relations, including the renunciation of territorial claims, the avoidance of force, and the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Key Takeaways:

  • The agreement confirms that the boundaries between the Soviet Socialist Republics of the former USSR became the international borders of respective independent states, recognized by the international community.
  • The parties renounce all territorial claims to each other, and agree not to raise any such claims in the future.
  • The parties agree to refrain from the use of force or the threat of use of force against each other's territorial integrity or political independence.
  • The parties agree to establish diplomatic relations between them, and to conduct good-faith negotiations to conclude an agreement on the delimitation and demarcation of the state border.
  • The parties condemn and combat intolerance, racial hatred, and discrimination, and agree to uphold their applicable international obligations.
  • The parties undertake to address cases of missing persons and enforced disappearances, and to investigate the fate of those persons, including searching for and returning remains as appropriate.

Statistics:

  • 1980s: Azerbaijan and Armenia locked in a territorial dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.
  • 2023: Azerbaijan regains control over Nagorno-Karabakh in a military campaign.
  • 6 months: Parties shall seek other means of peaceful dispute settlement if direct consultations do not yield a result acceptable to both parties.
  • 1 month: Parties shall withdraw and dismiss all interstate claims and disputes related to issues exists between them before the signing of this agreement.

Sources:

  • Azerbaijan and Armenia, "Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan" (December 21, 1991)