President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan expressed hope that Yerevan will have what he called “the political will” to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan.
“I hope that Armenia will demonstrate political will and will sign the peace treaty with Azerbaijan, which is based on internationally recognized principles,” Aliyev said on Monday in Tbilisi after talks with Georgia’s prime minister Iraklu Gharibashvili.
Aliyev said that he had briefed Gharibashivili about the Armenia-Azerbaijan talks process and the two have broached the possibility of settlement discussion on a Georgia-Armenia-Azerbaijan level.
“If Armenia is prepared for that we are ready as well,” Aliyev said.
The concept of such a three-way process was brought up by Aliyev earlier this month during a European political summit in Prague. While he had not provided details at the time, he had stressed the need for such a cooperation to ensure “the security and peace in the South Caucasus.”
He has also suggested that such a format would allow discussion of transport, energy and other regional issues.
Official Tbilisi immediately welcomed Aliyev’s suggestion, with Gharibashvili saying that Georgia was ready to assist Aliyev’s suggestion.
“This peaceful approach between neighbors does not contradict or replace any other cooperation efforts. On the contrary it will help the process. I am confident that together we can achieve very important results,” Gharibashvili said.
Aliyev is in Tbilisi to bolster its ties with Armenia’s neighbor to the north, with which Baku has had not only economic relations but also military ones. Recently Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey held military exercises on the Georgia’s border with Armenia.
