PanARMENIAN.Net - Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, stated at the Doha Forum that U.S. President Donald Trump played a pivotal role in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"Azerbaijan and Armenia had been working on a peace agenda for five years. I personally took part in many meetings. Some were challenging, and we disagreed on various issues. However, once President Trump and his team joined the process, we realized that making peace irreversible required the powerful political authority and guarantees of the United States. Trump's fundamental role was a turning point in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia," Hajiyev said, according to APA.
He emphasized the importance of "preparing societies for peace."
From Azerbaijan's perspective, the war and conflict are over, Hajiyev said, and peace "must bring prosperity, drive development, and transform the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus." He noted that building trust between peoples is crucial in this context.
"Azerbaijan wants peace to be lasting, stable, and irreversible," he said, adding that significant efforts are required to achieve this.
"We must prepare our nations for peace. Azerbaijan's message has always been that we want to sign a peace agreement not just with the Armenian government, but with the Armenian people as well, so that it benefits future generations," Hajiyev added.
He also noted Azerbaijan's "ongoing efforts to promote confidence-building measures, despite the challenges," and said, "Azerbaijan has taken on the role of regional leadership and the responsibility for maintaining peace."
On August 8, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint declaration at the White House summarizing the results of their meeting in Washington.
In the presence of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the United States, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov initialed the "Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan."
Source: PanArmenian.Net
