SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, July 20. Azerbaijan views the recent meeting with Armenia in Abu Dhabi as a pragmatic and meaningful step forward in the peace process, said Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, Trend reports.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 3rd Shusha Global Media Forum, Hajiyev noted that the talks were held in a direct and open format, without any involvement from external mediators.
“One of the key aspects of this round of negotiations was that the dialogue took place directly between the two sides, without third-party involvement,” he said.
Hajiyev emphasized that this format allowed for tangible progress on several important issues, including alignment on parts of the draft peace agreement and steps forward in the border delimitation process. He added that overall, there is a positive momentum that supports growing regional stability.
He also confirmed that the peace agreement was one of the main topics discussed during the meeting. Azerbaijan, he said, demonstrated flexibility and proposed a preliminary endorsement of the draft text. However, Hajiyev stressed that some sensitive issues still need to be addressed — including constitutional provisions in Armenia that contradict previous agreements, and the unresolved question of formally closing the OSCE Minsk Group.
Asked whether a peace deal could be finalized by the end of the year, Hajiyev said it was too early to offer a prediction.