What could Armenia-Azerbaijan warming relations lead to?

Armenian authorities are highly interested in improving relations with Azerbaijan, Caucasus expert Artur Ataev told Izvestia.

“First, the government wants to show its domestic audience that this is not a case of one-sided concessions — Baku is also taking steps to accommodate them. Second, Yerevan hopes to improve relations with Azerbaijan, strengthen cooperation with Turkey, and gain access to Middle Eastern markets,” he explained.

The expert added that in the South Caucasus, it is common for political statements to be followed by concrete actions.

Azerbaijani analyst Farhad Mamedov recalled that at the beginning of August, the leaders of the two countries, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan, finally reached an agreement on the text of a peace treaty.

“After that, new opportunities for rapprochement emerged. The entire set of sanctions and restrictions imposed by Azerbaijan and Armenia on each other began to gradually ease. I believe we can soon expect updates from the border delimitation commissions, as well as from those dealing with missing persons. We also anticipate greater clarity regarding the TRIPP project, or the ‘Trump Route’ which is designed to connect Azerbaijan’s mainland with the Nakhijevan exclave. The topic is broad, and Baku and Yerevan are engaging in sincere dialogue on all issues,” the expert noted.