About the meetings in Moldova: "there are still issues that have not been agreed"

In an article resembling the style of The New York Times, it was reported that a meeting took place on June 1 in Moldova between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The gathering involved the participation of French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholts, and the head of the European Council, Charles Michel. This five-sided format followed a trilateral meeting between Charles Michel, Ilham Aliyev, and Nikol Pashinyan.

The meetings occurred as part of the European political community summit. The head of the European Council stated that all the raised issues were discussed during the meeting, including human rights, the peace treaty, and border delimitation. These discussions were seen as preparations for the upcoming meeting in Brussels scheduled for July 21.

While the president of Azerbaijan has yet to comment on the meetings, Nikol Pashinyan expressed optimism during a meeting with the Armenian diaspora in Moldova. He mentioned the possibility of demarcating the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the 1975 maps, but emphasized the need to check Azerbaijan's reaction to his proposal.

Hikmet Babaoglu, deputy chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on defense, security, and combating corruption, emphasized the importance of Azerbaijan's participation in any meeting of the European political union due to their partnership with the European Union and its member states. He noted the expectation of significant long-term dynamics between Azerbaijan and the European Union, as Azerbaijan is becoming a crucial logistics and communication center between Asia and Europe through various international projects.

As for the five-sided meeting, the deputy told Turan that it is unrealistic to expect immediate results from it. He suggested that the venue and participation in the meeting were meant to convey a message from the European Union to Russia, indicating their support for Moldova in case of a potential crisis. Babaoglu further explained that the president of Azerbaijan participated in the meeting to send a political message to the leaders involved, without expecting to reach any specific agreement. The main objective was to set the stage for future trilateral negotiations in the Brussels format.

As the political commentator Zardusht told RadioAzadlig Alizadeh, peace negotiations are difficult because it is easier to start a war than to end it.However, the successive meetings are seen as incremental steps forward, providing hope for the eventual signing of a peace treaty. Alizadeh acknowledged that the conflict, which has lasted over 30 years, cannot be resolved instantaneously.

Although peace talks are underway, the biggest obstacle to negotiations between Baku and Khankendi (the capital of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) is currently the Russian Federation, its "peacekeeping" Corps, and the separatists. The pressure exerted by these external forces has led Karabakh Armenians to refuse the negotiations. Alizadeh believed that this issue could be resolved within a few months if external malicious forces do not intervene. He mentioned a specific deadline of November 2025 when Azerbaijan will have to decide whether the Russian troops should remain or leave.

In recent years, Azerbaijan and Armenia have engaged in periodic peace talks with the mediation of Russia and the European Union (EU).