Historic Peace Agreement Promises to Reshape South Caucasus Landscape

Armenia and Azerbaijan have published a U.S.-brokered peace agreement pledging to respect each other's territorial integrity. The deal, aimed at ending decades-long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, requires Armenia to amend its constitution. This transformative accord, while bypassing Russia, promises significant geopolitical shifts in the energy-rich region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan unveiled a vital U.S.-brokered peace agreement on Monday, committing to respect each other's territorial integrity and terminating nearly 40 years of conflict. The treaty, inked in Washington last Friday, followed discussions between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

The agreement, initialed by the countries' foreign ministers, commits Yerevan and Baku to relinquish territorial claims, avoid military aggression, and uphold international law. Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan declared the deal a 'solid foundation' for a robust and enduring peace, designed to balance the interests of both nations.

Despite international approval, including from the EU and NATO member Turkey, Russia expressed concerns over foreign involvement. The accord excludes Russian peacekeepers and bans third-party military deployments on the shared border. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan urges constitutional changes in Armenia to eliminate implicit territorial claims, a precondition for finalizing the peace agreement.

(With inputs from agencies.)