Azerbaijan renews demands for political and legal changes in Armenia before peace deal

ANKARA- Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has reiterated Baku’s demand that Armenia undertake further political and legal steps before a peace agreement between the two countries can be formally signed.

Speaking on October 30 at the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Ankara, Bayramov said the agreement, initialled last year on the basis of principles proposed by Azerbaijan, had not yet reached the stage of final signature.

Although he claimed that a de facto state of peace already exists in the South Caucasus, Bayramov insisted that additional measures by Armenia remain necessary.

The Azerbaijani minister did not specify those measures in his latest remarks. However, Baku has repeatedly demanded changes to Armenia’s Constitution, presenting them as a prerequisite for concluding the peace treaty.

Bayramov also promoted the so-called “Zangezur corridor,” linking the controversial concept to Azerbaijan’s broader ambitions for regional transportation, trade and economic integration.

His statements come as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government intensifies efforts to advance constitutional reform despite objections from Armenia’s parliamentary opposition.

Opposition representatives have warned that constitutional changes undertaken in response to Azerbaijani demands would undermine Armenia’s sovereign decision-making and establish a dangerous precedent in relations with Baku.

The continuing Azerbaijani conditions also raise questions about the credibility of the government’s assurances that peace is within reach.

With the agreement already initialled, Azerbaijan’s insistence on additional Armenian concessions reinforces opposition concerns that the negotiating process remains fundamentally unequal, with no comparable guarantees concerning Armenia’s security or territorial sovereignty.