Pashinyan Urges Aliyev to Sign Peace Agreement

In a push for peace, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has made multiple public appeals to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to sign the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The finalized draft of the treaty has been agreed upon by both sides, and Pashinyan has openly expressed his willingness to sign it without further delay.

For the third time in less than 24 hours, Pashinyan used social media to address Aliyev, urging him to move forward with signing the peace deal. "The draft peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been agreed upon and is awaiting signing," Pashinyan wrote on Facebook. "I propose to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to begin consultations on signing the agreed draft peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

This statement follows two similar appeals made by Pashinyan the previous day. The Armenian PM’s repeated outreach comes during ongoing claims by Azerbaijan that Armenia has been violating the ceasefire along their shared border. Since Sunday, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry has issued at least 12 such accusations. However, the Armenian government has categorically denied all allegations.

Despite these tensions, Pashinyan assured Baku that he has given clear instructions to Armenian forces not to violate the ceasefire agreement.

While Pashinyan continues his peace overtures, Armenian political analysts and opposition figures remain skeptical of Azerbaijan’s motives. They believe that Azerbaijan’s persistent accusations may be an attempt to justify another military offensive against Armenia or to pressure Pashinyan into making further concessions.

Just last week, Armenia made several significant compromises to resolve the remaining disputes over the draft treaty. However, Azerbaijani officials have since insisted that the agreement’s signing depends on Armenia amending its constitution and the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Wednesday, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry firmly rejected these preconditions, maintaining that the peace treaty should proceed as agreed. However, Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, downplayed Azerbaijan’s demands, describing them as a "diplomatic approach to the issue." He also reiterated that Pashinyan’s multiple appeals to Aliyev are part of the Armenian government’s broader efforts to promote peace in the region.

Armenian opposition parties have long accused Pashinyan of adopting an appeasement policy toward Azerbaijan, arguing that his approach only emboldens Aliyev to demand more concessions. Even before the recent progress in peace talks, opposition leaders warned that Pashinyan is rushing to secure an incomplete deal in an attempt to bolster his political standing.

Critics argue that any agreement signed under pressure could ultimately fail to ensure long-term peace and security for Armenia. They also warn that Azerbaijan’s additional demands could undermine Armenia’s sovereignty.

While the draft peace agreement is officially ready for signing, uncertainty remains over whether Azerbaijan will proceed without imposing further conditions. The coming days will be critical in determining whether Pashinyan’s appeals lead to a breakthrough or if the peace process stalls once again due to additional demands from Baku.