Armenia remains firmly committed to building peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in his speech at the Diplomatic Institute of Rio Branco.
“With this fundamental understanding, Armenia has been actively engaged in the peace process with Azerbaijan. Today, more than ever, we are closer to signing a peace treaty that will establish formal interstate relations based on sovereignty, territorial integrity, the inviolability of borders, and commitments to refrain from the use or threat of force.
Last week, we made significant progress in our negotiations: by agreeing to the latest draft of the Peace Treaty, Armenia paved the way for finalizing the text. Now, the Peace Treaty is agreed upon and ready for signing. The Republic of Armenia has the political will to sign it immediately and proposes initiating consultations with Azerbaijan as soon as possible to determine the venue, time, and other practical details of the official signing of this historic agreement,” Mirzoyan stated.
He added that another important development between Armenia and Azerbaijan was the key agreement reached last year on border demarcation, which recognized the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration as the basis for delimitation. The declaration reaffirmed that following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the administrative boundaries of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic became international borders between the two independent states.
“We have successfully delimited over 12 kilometers of border and are working bilaterally to ensure the efficient continuation of the process, which is making a significant contribution to regional stability.”
As part of this comprehensive settlement process, Armenia has also presented specific and mutually beneficial proposals for unblocking regional transport infrastructure. These proposals include simplifying border crossing procedures and introducing additional mechanisms to ensure cargo security. Mirzoyan emphasized that they would create an opportunity for both Azerbaijan and Armenia to benefit from each other’s railway networks, fostering sustainable economic cooperation.
“Our approach is reflected in the innovative Crossroads of Peace initiative, which is gaining increasing recognition worldwide. This visionary project aims to open regional infrastructure based on the fundamental principles of sovereignty, jurisdiction, equality, and reciprocity. Many countries, both in our immediate region and beyond, recognize the Crossroads of Peace as a vital link to their own transport and logistics plans, underscoring its far-reaching global impact.
Despite the significant progress we have made, it should be noted that aggressive rhetoric from the Azerbaijani side continues, accompanied by false accusations of ceasefire violations in recent days. I would like to emphasize that these accusations are completely unfounded, as confirmed by the EU monitors deployed along our state border with Azerbaijan. Armenia has no reason to violate the ceasefire and has consistently advocated for the establishment of a mechanism to investigate such allegations, to which Azerbaijan has yet to respond.
In addition, Armenia has presented constructive initiatives on mutual arms control and verification measures. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan has not responded to these proposals either,” Mirzoyan noted.
According to him, for sustainable peace, Armenia and Azerbaijan should consistently promote mutual trust and dialogue. A positive contribution to this process could be the resolution of unresolved humanitarian issues, including the release of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, as well as the effective investigation of cases of missing persons and enforced disappearances.
“Therefore, I want to emphasize that the time for peace is now. If Armenia’s strong political will for stability and prosperity in the region is reciprocated, we will achieve the long-awaited and desired peace,” Mirzoyan emphasized.
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