On August 31, a meeting was held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, Ali Zulfugaroglu, a political analyst and member of the Board of the Justice, Law, and Democracy (AHD) Party, provided insights regarding the significance of the discussions.
Ali Zulfugaroglu stated that the meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan signals a positive trend for the ongoing peace process. He emphasized that significant steps have been taken to date, particularly by the Azerbaijani leadership, to foster an environment of trust and development.
The transit of Russian and Kazakh grain through Azerbaijan to Armenia, the export of Azerbaijani fuel to Armenia, reciprocal visits by civil society representatives, the Washington Declaration, and other processes have positively influenced the peace process.
The analyst noted that the leaders' discussion of these issues and their positive assessment of the process are encouraging factors. However, Zulfugaroglu stressed that despite progress in several areas, a key priority for Azerbaijan remains the implementation of concrete steps regarding the amendment of the Armenian Constitution.
"The fact that the ruling party did not secure a constitutional majority in the recent election is a point of concern. The lack of transparent elections in Armenia raises the possibility that the Pashinyan government may be attempting to use this outcome to delay a referendum and insulate itself from pressure from Azerbaijan," he stated.
According to the political analyst, this situation may be influenced by both external pressures and internal factors. He concluded that for the peace process to reach a decisive stage and for regional stability to be solidified, the Pashinyan government must take concrete actions in this direction.
The normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia is a critical geopolitical issue in the South Caucasus. Following the restoration of Azerbaijan's sovereignty over its territories in 2023, the focus has shifted toward the signing of a comprehensive peace treaty, which requires the resolution of border delimitation and the removal of territorial claims against Azerbaijan from Armenia's legislative framework.
