In a new development regarding the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Armenia and Azerbaijan have both announced a breakthrough on a peace deal that may put an end to the decades long conflict between the two countries over the region of Nagorno Karabakh. On Thursday, both nations said that they have finished negotiations on the draft agreement. However, the timeline for signing it is still unclear, as Azerbaijan is requesting changes to Armenia’s constitution, which it believes implies territorial claims to the region. Armenia denies this but has said it may bring about constitutional reforms.
The conflict started in the late 1980s over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region mostly populated by Armenians but geographically located in Azerbaijan. The region has had several wars start over ownership of the state between Azerbaijan and Armenia, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Things began to heat up again in September 2023 when Azerbaijan regained control of the region, leading to a mass exodus of nearly all ethnic Armenians. While there have been some attempts at peace talks since then, the situation is quite tense, with a heavily militarized 1,000km border and some inflammatory comments from both sides from time to time.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is pushing for a referendum to adopt a new constitution, although a date hasn’t been established yet. This potential agreement may end the entire conflict altogether, but the issue of the Armenian constitution presented by Azerbaijan may dash any hopes.