Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has stated that his country recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, adding that Baku is ready to recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia, which has an area of 29.8 thousand square kilometers, and Yerevan is also ready to recognize the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan as 86.6 thousand square kilometers.
Ilham Aliyev, the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has also said that there is a possibility of achieving peace between Baku and Yerevan, especially since Armenia has recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the Azerbaijani territory, while clarifying that Baku has no territorial claim against Armenia. Now, the opportunity to reach a peace agreement is possible for the two countries.
After the second Nagorno-Karabakh war, with the signing of the Moscow agreement on November 9, 2020, although the seven cities of Azerbaijan that were occupied by Armenia were liberated, it was not clear whether Nagorno-Karabakh will remain in the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan or will remain under the rule of a different state.
Another ambiguity in the Moscow agreement was how to use the Sivnik crossing. This crossing is within the territorial integrity of Armenia and connects the central part of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan.
Armenia's Pashinyan says that his country and the Republic of Azerbaijan have decided to respect each other’s territorial integrity to resolve the differences.
Pashinyan said that Armenia is ready to unlock all transportation and economic connections (with Azerbaijan) based on the sovereignty and legal rules of Armenia, adding that both the border guard service and the customs service of Armenia are ready to ensure the normal traffic of all vehicles, including railway cargo from the territory of Armenia. He said that Yerevan is waiting for Azerbaijan's railway to transport cargo belonging to Armenia from Nakhchivan and from the Republic of Azerbaijan, especially cargos that bound for Iran and Russia.
With the announcement of Armenia’s readiness to open the crossing via Sivnik province for Azerbaijan's access to Nakhchivan, the next obstacle to establishing peace in the Caucasus can be resolved.
Another worrisome issue was the situation of the Armenian minority in the Karabakh province, which was highlighted by Ilham Aliyev’s remarks at the opening ceremony of the 10th World Forum in Baku.
He said that Azerbaijan is a country with high religious and ethnic tolerance, adding that representatives of different ethnicities and religions live in peace and dignity in the country. Aliyev promised that the life of the Armenians who live in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan will be much better than during the time of occupation.
Such strong statements can put an end to the disruption of cargo and passenger traffic via the Lachin crossing and be a guarantee for the continuation of peace.
Representatives of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia will meet in Moscow late next week, and according to Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of the Russian presidency, there is a possibility that a peace treaty between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia could be signed in a foreseeable future.
The signing of a comprehensive and unequivocal agreement between Baku and Yerevan will ensure that the extra-regional countries, which want to interfere in the situation of the region in order to isolate Russia in the Caucasus, will not have a chance to maneuver.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has always stated that for any peace treaty to endure, the parties should resolve disputes by respecting international standards and by recognizing each other’s territorial integrity and by maintaining internationally recognized borders.
Based on historical records and international standards, the Armenian-populated Karabakh with its capital Khankendi has been part of the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Sivnik province has been a part of the territory under the sovereignty of Armenia.
The independence of Karabakh means the disintegration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the change of geographical borders, and the removal of sovereignty from Armenia in Sivnik province is also an example of a violation of the territorial integrity of this country could lead to a change of geographical borders.
Now the two sides have decided not to violate the international borders and ensure the security of the Armenian minority in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The recent conflict has harmed both countries, while countries of the region, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, will welcome any development that lead to a settlement of the disputes.
Baku and Yerevan should know that an end to the Karabakh conflict and the establishment of peace in the region will ensure the interests of both parties and will satisfy the people of the two countries.
With this development, the possibility of cooperation between the countries of the region in the form of 3+3 will be created and the conflicts will end.
The only party that will suffer losses from the peace agreement in the region is the Zionist regime, as it will lose the opportunity to sell weapons and become involved in intelligence dynamics in the Caucasus.
For this reason, countries of the region, especially the main parties in the dispute, should be careful about potential Israeli moves to disrupt the process that is aimed at working out a peace treaty.
(The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of IRNA)
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