Aliyev Won Both the War and the Peace

The initialing of a peace memorandum by Azerbaijan and Armenia at the White House, putting an end to 35 years of hostility, was seen as an important step towards ensuring peace and stability in the region.

This development was interpreted as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who went down in history as the leader who liberated Karabakh from Armenia after 35 years of occupation, “winning the peace after winning the war five years ago.”

Another significant aspect of the meeting in Washington was that Azerbaijan and Armenia took a step towards strategic partnership with the United States.

With the momentum created in the U.S., only a few steps remain before the signing of the final peace agreement.

🔸 The first step is for Armenia’s parliament to vote on removing Azerbaijani territories, written into the constitution as Armenian land during its declaration of independence in 1991, from the constitution.

🔸 The second important step is the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, established under the co-chairmanship of Russia, the U.S., and France to find a solution to the conflict when the First Karabakh War broke out.

In light of the signed memorandum, it is envisaged that the infrastructure works for the 'Zangezur Corridor'—to be known as the 'Trump Road' under U.S. supervision—will be completed within one year to make it operational in practice.

Until these works are completed, the final demarcation of the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, necessary for the major peace agreement, also needs to be finalized.

Source: Hürriyet