President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan has expressed optimism in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.
In remarks at a panel discussion alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Khachaturyan, who serves in a largely ceremonial role, lauded the leaderships of both countries for their efforts towards peace.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, and Chairperson of Limak Holding (Türkiye) Ebru Özdemir also participated in the panel discussion titled Defining Eurasia’s Economic Identity.
“It is very important for political leaders to play a role in resolving issues through peaceful means. The success of individual countries will depend on how courageous their leaders are, how willing they are to set aside short-term political considerations and focus on strategic future priorities. Thank God, the leaders of our countries have chosen peace, the future, and the opportunity to ensure a prosperous life for people above all else. I am one of those politicians who has always spoken about peace. Throughout my political career, I have tried in one way or another to be useful, because one thing is clear to me: if you have neighbors, you can only live with them in peace. This applies even in everyday life, let alone at the state level. There is no other path—any alternative leads to disputes, conflict, and a meaningless waste of time.
I am very optimistic that we will indeed succeed and will also have joint economic and cultural projects. There are already precedents of meetings between representatives of our civil society. This will continue, and the next step will be meetings among business circles. Already in Yerevan, people are purchasing Azerbaijani fuel and driving their cars. If we had spoken about this years ago, it would have been met with hostility and perceived very differently. But this is the reality in which we now live,” the President of Armenia said.
According to Vahagn Khachaturyan, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have demonstrated their readiness, political courage, and will to take real steps that can lead to peace.
“We are now living in a situation we have not experienced for more than 30 years. It was truly hard to believe that within a short period of time it would be possible to reach a point where Armenia could receive goods directly from Azerbaijan via the territory of Georgia. I am confident that the day will also come when we will receive those goods through each other’s territories,” Khachaturyan added.
The President once again reaffirmed his optimism that Armenia and Azerbaijan will succeed in establishing peace between them. “Why will we succeed? Because we have clear agreements and have adopted clear principles: respect for each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and jurisdiction. We will be guided by these principles and will open our borders. I am also confident that years from now, there will not only be high-level political meetings, but it will also become a normal process for our citizens from Armenia or Azerbaijan to cross the border, engage in trade, and benefit from the advantages that both countries have.
As a result of this cooperation, we as a region will become very attractive to the world as well. The best route for ensuring connectivity between Europe and Asia is the South Caucasus. This process will also succeed because there is an economic interest involved, and this will strengthen the agreements we have reached. If the leaders of two countries reach consensus around shared principles, then success is possible. I cannot fail to mention the role of U.S. President Donald Trump, who was able to assume such responsibility and, together with the leaders of our two countries, signed that historic document on August 8,” the President of Armenia emphasized.
The President also noted that the basis for his optimism lies in the political will he sees among the leaders of both countries to achieve peace. According to him, establishing diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey will be among the best factors contributing to that peace.
“There is also one more thing we must certainly do: prepare our peoples to become participants in these processes. This is work that requires time. If the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan were able to reach agreement on fundamental principles in a very short period of time, it would not be right to expect the same immediately from our societies, because people need time to overcome the issues that exist, whether artificially or naturally. I hope that both Azerbaijan and Armenia are working and will continue to work in this direction, involving our citizens and our societies in the sustainability of the peace we have begun,” Vahagn Khachaturyan concluded.
