Baku, Yerevan closer to peace than ever before: Aliyev

BAKU

Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev has said that the decades-long conflict between Baku and Yerevan has finally given way to an unprecedented opportunity for peace that the sides have never had before.

"Today, we are closer to peace with Armenia than ever before. The southern Caucasus has never been this close to peace. This has been achieved thanks to the Second Karabakh War," Aliyev said during his speech at the opening of the 11th Global Baku Forum held in the Azerbaijani capital on March 14.

The two Caucasus neighbors and historical foes have fought two wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh region during the past three decades, with Baku retaking control of the territory in a one-day offensive last fall.

Peace talks — mediated separately by the European Union, the United States, and Russia — have sputtered despite both countries saying an agreement could be signed by the end of last year.

Highlighting Azerbaijan's unwavering determination to continue peace talks, Aliyev also underscored that "historical justice" was restored through Baku’s reclamation of the region with victories in 2020 and 2023.

"We have achieved historical justice. Now it is time to put an end to hostility in the region,” the president said.

Touching upon other nations’ efforts to arm Armenia, Aliyev noted that Azerbaijani troops seized approximately $1 billion worth of military equipment, weapons and ammunition in a one-day operation last September.

"In the Second Karabakh War, the value of war trophies we captured was $5 billion. All these weapons were given to Armenia for free."

Accusing France of endeavoring to foster an anti-Azerbaijan perception in global public opinion, Aliyev added that Paris's "efforts were in vain,” adding that his country never acted against international law during conflicts with Armenia.

Expressing his condemnation of the assault on the statue of Khurshidbanu Natavan, a Karabakh-born Azerbaijani poet, in the French city of Evian-les-Bains last month, Aliyev also showed pictures of the attacked statue to the attendees.

"The nose of the statue was broken, and paint was thrown on it. Despite all our requests, they did not repair the statue. After long efforts, we took that monument and placed it in the Azerbaijan Cultural Center."

Baku earlier accused France of supporting Armenia, both diplomatically and militarily, and of seeking to fuel tensions in the South Caucasus.

Last month, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to continue to hold peace discussions on "open issues" as they concluded their meeting in Germany.

In separate statements made by the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministries, it was conveyed that the foreign ministers of both countries and their delegations discussed perspectives on the provisions of a draft peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan.