Armenia and Azerbaijan reach consensus on peace deal

Armenia has accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on the two previously unresolved articles of a peace agreement, according to DW.com.

On Thursday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov announced that negotiations with Armenia on the text of the peace deal have been completed.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry confirmed that both countries are now prepared to sign an agreement establishing peace and interstate relations.

Previously, Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed on 15 of the 17 articles in the proposed treaty, with only two points left unresolved: renouncing mutual claims in international courts and prohibiting the deployment of third-party forces along the border.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described the deal as a «compromise agreement,» noting that it includes concessions on these two points. He clarified that while the document does not specifically mention European Union observers in Armenia, it does contain a provision against third-country military deployments.

«This means that once the agreement takes effect, neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan should station third-country military forces along the entire border,» he said.

Meanwhile, Armenia is considering another major decision this year. The country’s parliament has approved a draft law on EU accession in its first reading.