A military post along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border
Days after Baku said that the border delimitation and demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be a separate process from the signing of a possible peace treaty, Yerevan signaled that it would not rule out such an option.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan said that separating the two processes may be considered by Yerevan.
“I think that we can consider such an option because in terms of time it could take longer, perhaps even years. A country heading toward true peace won’t see any obstacle in such things,” Simonyan said, stressing that this is his personal opinion.
The border delimitation and demarcation could take very long, he added.
“Yes, I don’t rule out that such an option could be acceptable for Armenia,” Simonyan added.
Earlier this week, Hikmet Hajiyev, a top foreign policy adviser to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, told reporters in London that the two processes must be carried out on separate tracks, emphasizing that the border delimitation should not be linked with the peace deal.
“The 35-year-long conflict is now over,” Hajiyev said.
“The strategy for Azerbaijan now is to win peace. (This) requires action from both sides,” he added.
“A peace treaty is not rocket science,” Hajiyev said. “For Azerbaijan there are no longer obstacles on the way to a peace agenda.”
“Azerbaijan is ready to form a peace treaty with Armenia. For that reason, Azerbaijan has also suggested five fundamental principles and a text for a peace treaty. Currently, there are diplomatic engagements between Armenia and Azerbaijan in direct talks. I believe that Armenia and Azerbaijan have managed to surprise the world with a positive agenda. On December 7, the two countries made a joint statement expressing their intention to advance the peace agenda and implement confidence-building measures,” Hajiyev told reporters in London on Tuesday.