Armenia: Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, has issued an ultimatum to Azerbaijan, warning that Armenia would be on the brink of war unless a settlement is reached on the return of four Azerbaijani villages.
The villages were under Armenian control since the 1990s. They were of strategic importance as they lay on the main road connecting Yerevan with the Georgian border.
Pashinyan underscored in a conference with residents of border areas the haste of resolving the dispute, revealing that failure to fix it could lead to armed conflict by the end of the week. There can be disastrous outcomes to such a brawl, as Pashinyan acknowledged.
The pressures between Armenia and Azerbaijan are ingrained in Azerbaijan’s demand for the return of regions, which enclose four villages and many enclaves covered by Armenian territory. These injunctions are considered to be crucial requirements for a peace agreement, which follows the conflict of last September.
During this dispute, Azerbaijan retrieved control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Since the early 1990s, ethnic Armenians have held de facto control over Nagorno-Karabakh, despite it being internationally identified as Azerbaijani territory. However, the recent military offensive by Azerbaijan led to significant losses for Armenia and forced many ethnic Armenians to flee the region.
Peace treaty discussions were challenging due to problems encircling border separation and military presence. However, the Armenian Prime Minister conveyed readiness to return to Azerbaijani-controlled territories and suggested alternate ways for Armenia’s road network.
Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, sounded favourable about the prospect of a peace deal, noting improvement in discussions with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Notably, Stoltenberg met with both leaders, highlighting ongoing diplomatic measures to resolve the conflict.
Its shift toward the West over the past few years strained Armenia’s relationship with its traditional ally, Russia. As a result of this pivot, speculation arose about Armenia’s potential membership in the European Union.
Russian officials said that Azerbaijan’s concessions to Armenia are likely to affect Armenia’s closer ties with the West. A permanent peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan depends on diplomatic efforts as tensions remain high.
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