Azerbaijan offers Armenia dialogue on border delimitation
By Vafa Ismayilova
Azerbaijan offers Armenia to start bilateral discussions on the delimitation and demarcation of borders, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said.
Addressing the 43rd online meeting of the Council of BSEC foreign ministers on June 30, Bayramov also said that anti-Azerbaijani statements voiced in Armenia hamper the peace process.
“After the liberation of the state border with Armenia from 30 years of occupation, Azerbaijan is currently building a border control infrastructure along the state border. We offer Armenia to start bilateral discussions on border delimitation and demarcation. Azerbaijan expects a positive reaction from Armenia," he said.
The minister said that restoring its territorial integrity, Azerbaijan repeatedly expressed its determination to normalize relations with Armenia on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of internationally recognized borders.
“There is no alternative to building good neighborly relations on this basis to ensure long-term peace and stability in the region. There is an unprecedented opportunity to build such a relationship through the consistent implementation of the trilateral statement signed by the leaders of both sides,” he said.
Furthermore, Bayramov said that the hatred against Azerbaijan, accompanied by revanchist rhetoric in Armenia, is a matter of serious concern.
“The anti-Azerbaijani hate speech that unites the ruling and opposition politicians in Armenia threatens the fragile normalization process,” he added.
The minister stressed that Armenia must finally live up to its obligations under international and regional documents and hand over the mine maps to Azerbaijan.
“Armenia must finally fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law, as well as the tripartite declaration, and submit maps of mined areas to prevent further human suffering,” he added.
Bayramov noted that the restoration of communications will bring benefits to the whole region.
On June 26, President Ilham Aliyev said that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is over and Armenia must determine its borders with Azerbaijan.
“I have said this many times and I want to say again that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been resolved. Armenia must accept it and work with us to determine the borders. A working group on delimitation should be established. There must be preparations for a peace agreement,” Aliyev said.
He added that there is only one way for Armenia to develop – to establish normal relations with its neighbors, give up its territorial claims, and not to use the word Nagorno-Karabakh at all.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have failed to come to an agreement on the delimitation and demarcation of their state border following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The tension over border delineation gained fresh momentum following the end of the Second Karabakh War in 2020.
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