The U.S. is hopeful that Armenia and Azerbaijan will soon sign a long-awaited peace treaty, according to Eric Jacobs, a senior adviser at the U.S. State Department. Speaking at an energy event in Baku, Jacobs said the treaty would bring security and prosperity to the South Caucasus region.
Last month, both countries agreed on the text of a peace deal, aiming to end nearly 40 years of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The dispute began in the late 1980s when both nations were part of the Soviet Union. Though Nagorno-Karabakh is officially part of Azerbaijan, it had a majority Armenian population until 2023. After years of war, Azerbaijan retook the region in September 2023, causing almost all 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee.
Since then, both sides have expressed a desire for peace, but negotiations have been slow. A breakthrough happened last month, but the deal is not expected to be signed soon. Azerbaijan insists that Armenia must first change its constitution to remove references to Karabakh’s independence.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high. Both countries recently accused each other of firing along their closed and militarized border, though no casualties have been reported.
Backstory: The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict Over Nagorno-Karabakh
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh dates back to the late 1980s, during the final years of the Soviet Union. The region, located within Azerbaijan’s borders, had a majority Armenian Christian population, while Azerbaijan is mostly Muslim.
As the Soviet Union collapsed, ethnic tensions flared. Armenian separatists, backed by Armenia, sought to break away from Azerbaijan, leading to a brutal war (1988-1994). By the end of the war, Armenia-controlled forces had taken Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding Azerbaijani territories, forcing hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis to flee. The region declared de facto independence, though it was not internationally recognized.
For decades, the conflict remained unresolved, with occasional clashes. Then, in 2020, Azerbaijan launched a six-week war, regaining much of its lost land. A Russian-brokered ceasefire ended the fighting, but tensions remained. Finally, in September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a swift military offensive, fully retaking Nagorno-Karabakh. This led to the mass exodus of nearly all 100,000 ethnic Armenians, effectively ending Armenian presence in the region.
Since then, both Armenia and Azerbaijan have signaled a willingness to sign a peace treaty. However, negotiations have been difficult, with Azerbaijan demanding that Armenia remove references to Karabakh’s independence from its constitution. Despite recent progress, border tensions persist, and the treaty’s signing remains uncertain.
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