Aliyev rejects Armenia’s peace proposal as ‘unrealistic’

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday rejected Armenia’s proposal to sign a peace deal based solely on previously agreed-upon principles, labeling it “unrealistic.”

During a ceremony in Baku, where he accepted the credentials of Belgium’s newly appointed ambassador, Aliyev stated that Armenia’s proposal to finalize a deal with provisions yet to be agreed upon is unprecedented, according to an Azerbaijani presidential statement.

Aliyev emphasized that during the occupation of the Karabakh region, a key provision of peace treaties proposed by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) Minsk Group was that “nothing could be agreed upon without all issues being agreed upon.”

“This was the position of the then-co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we continue to hold it,” Aliyev said, noting that some former Minsk Group members have shifted their positions to support Armenia’s current proposal.

While acknowledging Armenia’s willingness for peace through its proposals, Aliyev asserted that Armenia understands these proposals will not be accepted.

Need for patience, realism in peace talks

“Despite all of this, the process continues,” he added, emphasizing that negotiations between the two countries have been ongoing for two years and underscoring the need for patience, realism, and a commitment to peace in the South Caucasus.

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 a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended with a Russian-brokered peace agreement, paving the way for normalization and border demarcation.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan asserted full sovereignty in Karabakh following an anti-terrorist operation that led to the surrender of separatist forces in the region.