2025-04-04T08:46:39.000Z

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BAKU: US President Donald Trump has expressed optimism regarding the prospects of a long-awaited peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia. This was highlighted by Eric Jacobs, a senior adviser from the US Department of State's Bureau of Energy Resources, during an energy conference held in Baku on April 4. Jacobs emphasized that such a treaty would not only bring an end to long-standing hostilities but also signal the dawn of a 'new era of security and prosperity' for the South Caucasus region.

In a significant development last month, both Armenia and Azerbaijan announced they had reached an agreement on the text of a peace treaty aimed at resolving nearly four decades of conflict centered around the Nagorno-Karabakh region. This territory, despite being recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan, has had a predominantly Armenian Christian population and has been at the heart of contentious disputes since the late 1980s, a period when both nations were still part of the disintegrating Soviet Union.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh escalated dramatically during the late 1980s, resulting in a series of violent confrontations that led to a de facto independence of the region through Armenian military support. However, in September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive that successfully reclaimed control over the territory, causing a mass exodus of around 100,000 ethnic Armenians who fled in fear of renewed violence.

In the aftermath of this military action, both nations have expressed a desire for peace; however, negotiations have been sporadic and slow until a notable breakthrough occurred last month. Despite this progress, the signing of the peace treaty is not anticipated to happen swiftly. Azerbaijan has made it clear that it expects Armenia to amend its constitution to eliminate references to the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, a demand that complicates the already delicate negotiations.

In the current atmosphere of tentative optimism, both countries have accused one another of ceasefire violations, with reports of gunfire exchanges occurring along their heavily militarized border. Thankfully, no casualties have been reported from these incidents, but the accusations reflect the fragility of the situation as both sides wrestle with historical grievances and the complexities of forging a lasting peace.