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Asim Aliyev

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Finally, the long-awaited peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan is about to bear fruit soon after passing a turbulent road. On December 7, 2023, as a result of negotiations between the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, an agreement was reached on the release of 32 Armenian servicemen by Azerbaijan and 2 Azerbaijani servicemen by Armenia. This agreement is a vivid example of humanism and mutual understanding, and according to the Armenian side, it is just a step towards breaking the ice between the two countries after three decades of conflict.

Guided by mutual understanding between the countries and as a step of goodwill, the Republic of Azerbaijan released 32 Armenian servicemen. The Republic of Armenia, in turn, released two Azerbaijani servicemen who had gone astray due to the bad weather, entering Armenian territory. This once again shows that Azerbaijan is right in its position and that the negotiations between the two countries without mediators produce effective results.

We can barely see this effective result at the meeting with the ministers of "landlocked developing countries" held in Armenia.

In his speech, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that if Azerbaijan does not abandon the agreements already reached, the signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan will be realized shortly. In addition, Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, touched upon these issues in his speech.

The FM noted that Armenia is ready to restore the Gyumri-Kars and Yeraskh-Nakhchivan railroads. Touching upon the "Crossroads of the World" project, the Armenian Minister stated that Armenia is interested in opening communications in the region under international standards and with full respect for the sovereignty of the states.

The speech of Armenian officials indicates that a peace agreement may be signed soon. However, it should also be noted that revanchist forces still exist in Armenia and beyond, and they have not stopped openly voicing their anti-Azerbaijani statements.

For example, we can show an invalid video message and statements written by "journalist" Lindsay Snell in X social media account. Snell posted false information in her account. She falsely wrote about Huseyn Akhundov, who crossed the Armenian border, and noted that supposedly he killed an Armenian citizen, and was accepted as a hero in Azerbaijan after his release. Of course, it is not true, because Huseyn Akhundov did not kill anybody, he just lost his way due to the bad weather. In addition, such statements could harm the steps taken to conclude a peace treaty. The Armenian leadership should realize that the revanchist views expressed towards Azerbaijan harm the peace treaty negotiations. These thoughts may simply be due to Lindsay's mental anguish stemming from her dark experiences with terrorism in Iraq and Syria. Snell, who works under the mask of a journalist and who knows, maybe even today supports terrorism, is grist to the mill of those who do not want peace in the South Caucasus.

As a second example, one can cite the revanchist views of Seyran Ohanyan, former Minister of Defense of the Armenian Republic and head of the Hayastan opposition faction. At the briefing of the National Assembly on December 13, he stated that Azerbaijan's criminal actions have aggravated the conflict and that Baku should be held responsible for it. These thoughts show that the Azerbaijani-born Armenian MP is still unable to come to terms with reality and give up propaganda against Azerbaijan. I would like to note that Seyran Ohanyan is known in Armenian media for his biased statements and false accusations against Azerbaijan.

Despite the revanchist statements against Azerbaijan, important steps are being taken to sign a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia. One of the important steps is the approval of the regulations of the Azerbaijani-Armenian delimitation commission. The signing of the peace treaty will have a positive impact on the creation of stability in the region and the versatile development of the economy.

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