BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. The meeting between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, US President Donald Trump, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which took place on August 8 in Washington, is of historic importance, Azerbaijani MP Sabina Salmanova told Trend.
She said that this meeting will be a major turning point for the region, and the joint declaration adopted at the meeting will go down in history as a major step towards ensuring real peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia after many years of conflict.
According to her, the joint declaration reflects a number of important issues.
"The provisions of the document regarding the opening of communications serve to build political and economic bridges between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Ensuring direct, unimpeded communication between the main part of Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is of particular importance from the viewpoint of our country's national interests. At the same time, it's envisaged that Armenia will also benefit from this process, which shows the mutually beneficial nature of the peace initiative. Of particular note is the international transport project, which was named Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). This project opens up economic prospects for all countries in the region. It's part of the regional transport integration plan initiated by President Ilham Aliyev and will further expand Azerbaijan's transit capabilities," she said.
The MP added that the document particularly emphasizes the initiative to officially end the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group.
"The joint appeal signed by the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia officially launched the initiative to abolish the Minsk Group and all related structures. This shows that the format, which has not yielded any results for many years, was inactive and no longer corresponds to the real situation, and is becoming history. This diplomatic decision is another reflection of the political will of President Ilham Aliyev and the growing weight of Azerbaijan in the system of international relations," said Salmanova.
In turn, MP Zaur Shukurov told Trend that the role of President Ilham Aliyev in the process of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and forming a peace agenda is irreplaceable.
"After the conflict's end with Azerbaijan's victory, the head of state put forward a peace agenda. In early 2022, Azerbaijan presented Armenia with five basic principles of a peace treaty, including recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of borders, renunciation of territorial claims, a commitment not to use force or threat of force, demarcation and delimitation of borders, establishment of diplomatic relations, and opening of communications. In March of this year, the text of a peace treaty consisting of 17 articles, which was also prepared by Azerbaijan, was finally agreed upon," he said.
The MP pointed out that one of the main reasons for the delay in the peace process was that Armenia did not fulfill its obligations - didn't take steps to eliminate the main obstacles to signing the agreed draft peace treaty: removing provisions with territorial claims against our country from its Constitution and abolishing the unnecessary Minsk Group and related structures. In addition, Armenia, under various pretexts, prevented the opening of the Zangezur Corridor, and, therefore, the full-fledged operation of the region's transport infrastructure.
He stressed that the joint declaration signed within the framework of the Washington meeting is another victory of President Ilham Aliyev.
"It's thanks to the decisive position of President Ilham Aliyev that the declaration reflects provisions that serve our national interests. Armenia accepted all of Azerbaijan's conditions - a joint letter was signed regarding the abolition of the Minsk Group, and Armenia also agreed to the issue of excluding from its Constitution the clause containing territorial claims against us. In addition, the opening of the Zangezur Corridor is becoming a reality. Azerbaijan achieved this goal in Washington. President Ilham Aliyev, who won the war, also won in achieving peace," Shukurov concluded.