A sudden breakthrough in a fitful and often bitter peace process due to major concessions on behalf of Armenia: International media coverage
Armenian and Azerbaijani officials said on Thursday that they had agreed the text of a peace agreement to end nearly four decades of conflict between the South Caucasus countries, a sudden breakthrough in a fitful and often bitter peace process, Reuters writes.
As noted, the two post-Soviet countries have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s. The article says Nagorno-Karabakh had a mostly ethnic-Armenian population till 2023. In 2022, Azerbaijani personnel blocked the one remaining road into Karabakh, causing acute shortages of food and fuel in the territory. In September 2023, Azerbaijani forces launched an offensive against what remained of Karabakh; almost all of the remaining 100,000 or so Armenians in the region fled to Armenia as refugees.
Though Armenia in 2024 handed back some territory, progress toward a final deal was slow, with both sides blaming each other for the stalled talks. Politico writes that after Armenia accepted the two remaining elements of a peace deal from Azerbaijan, the latter laid out several formal requirements that Armenia must complete before the deal can be signed. As the next step, Azerbaijan expects that Armenia will amend its Constitution and will agree to dissolve the Minsk Group.
As noted, meeting these demands could take some time, given that amending the constitution requires that a referendum be held. Still, observers hailed the agreement as representing significant progress toward peace. France24 said while numerous peace talks have failed in the past, major concessions on behalf of Armenia breathe new life into efforts for normalization between the neighboring countries. It is mentioned that tensions over the conflict have also driven a wedge between Armenia and Russia, with Yerevan accusing its ally of not doing enough to support it. Russia, the U.S. and the EU have all tried to play a mediating role at various times in the conflict.
The topic has also received widespread coverage in other reputable media outlets, such as CNN, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Jerusalem Post, Deutsche Welle, and others.
