Elchin Amirbayov: De facto peace with Armenia does not yet mean the peace process is complete

Azerbaijan still expects Armenia to take measures to eliminate a serious obstacle on the path to formally finalizing peace, Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov said during high-level meetings as part of a working visit to Finland.

The progress achieved in normalizing relations and the de-facto peace between the two countries do not yet mean the completion of the peace process, he noted.

Amirbayov emphasized that the official formalization of peace is necessary to ensure its sustainable and irreversible nature.

During the negotiations, he provided extensive information to his interlocutors on the current state, prospects, and positive dynamics of the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It was noted that the existing de-facto peace is already yielding tangible practical results, including the expansion of economic interaction and bilateral trade. This contributes to strengthening trust and forming an atmosphere of peace.

The Finnish side positively assessed Azerbaijan's efforts to promote peace and stability in the region and expressed hope for the signing of the initialed peace agreement in the foreseeable future.

As part of the visit, Amirbayov held meetings with Aliisa Tornberg, Head of the Foreign and Security Policy Department of the Office of the President of Finland, and Ville Brummer, Head of the Peace Mediation Department; Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister; Pasi Rajala, State Secretary for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense; Sari Rautio, Head of the Euro-Atlantic Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; as well as Vilhelm Junnila, Chairman of the Finnish-Azerbaijani Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Parliament of Finland.

The parties discussed in detail the current state and prospects of bilateral relations. Special attention was paid to intensifying political dialogue and expanding cooperation in the economic, trade, and humanitarian spheres. It was noted that significant potential remains in these areas, which has not yet been utilized.

The meetings' participants also emphasized that the sincere and friendly relations between the presidents of the two countries make a special contribution to the development of constructive dialogue and mutual understanding between Azerbaijan and Finland.

A separate topic of the negotiations was Azerbaijan's relations with the European Union. The Finnish side noted Azerbaijan's growing role in ensuring Europe's energy security, developing the Middle Corridor, strengthening transport and logistics connectivity between Europe and Asia, as well as expanding ties with Central Asia.

It was noted that maintaining the positive dynamics observed recently in relations between Azerbaijan and the EU meets the mutual strategic interests of both sides.

As part of the visit, Amirbayov also spoke at a roundtable at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland with the participation of experts from leading Finnish research institutions. The participants exchanged views on the normalization process of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, regional and international security, as well as bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Finland.