Foreign Affairs: Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace More Real Than Ever

Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which for decades seemed unattainable, is more real today than ever before. Foreign Affairs writes about this. The initialing of the peace treaty between the two countries in Washington last month marked a historic turning point, which, however, is full of internal and external challenges. As noted in the analysis of the prestigious publication, at the heart of this peace is the radical and painful transformation of the Armenian side: the rejection of the idea of "historical Armenia" and the focus on building a "real Armenia."

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government has adopted a policy that sharply deviates from the entire ideology of Armenia's independence period. If previously Armenian statehood was based on the idea of unification with Nagorno-Karabakh ("Miatsum"), today Pashinyan is promoting the vision of a "real Armenia," writes FA. This means focusing on the security, sovereignty, and development of Armenia's internationally recognized 29,800 sq. km territory, while renouncing territorial claims.

This change, however, has a huge domestic political price, assesses the publication. Pashinyan is forced to convince the Armenian public that the dreams of a "historical Armenia," which have fed the national identity for decades, have in fact become the cause of a security nightmare and continuous wars.

Taking advantage of the military superiority gained in the wars of 2020 and 2023, Azerbaijan is putting forward tough demands. The key among them is the amendment of the Constitution of Armenia. Baku insists that the preamble of the Constitution, which refers to the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, contains territorial claims, as the Declaration mentions the decision on the "reunification of the Armenian SSR and Nagorno-Karabakh."

The other key point is the unblocking of transport communication routes. The so-called "Zangezur corridor," which was renamed the "Trump route for international peace and prosperity" with Washington's mediation, provides for the construction of a road and railway that will connect Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan through the territory of Armenia. This project is presented as a regional communication channel that can connect Asia and Europe, bringing economic benefits to all parties.