Baku, August 25, 2025 – The Europe Today: US-based magazine The National Interest has published an article by former Azerbaijani diplomat Anar Jahangirli titled “Getting beyond blame in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process” in response to a piece by Stephan Pechdimaldji, a radical representative of the Armenian diaspora, which contained slanderous claims against Azerbaijan and the peace process between Baku and Yerevan.
In his article, Jahangirli underscored that the August 8, 2025 meeting at the White House, where Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shook hands with former US President Donald Trump, marked a historic step toward ending decades of conflict. The leaders initialed a draft peace agreement titled the “Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Inter State Relations,” committing to mutual recognition of sovereignty and the renunciation of force to alter borders.
The agreement also envisages a US-backed transit route through Armenia to connect mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan, which Jahangirli noted could restore trade, reconnect communities, and foster regional stability.
Criticizing Pechdimaldji’s one-sided narrative, Jahangirli emphasized that responsibility for the conflict lies on both sides, recalling nearly three decades of Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. He highlighted the destruction of Azerbaijani towns in Karabakh and Baku’s ongoing efforts to rebuild them.
Jahangirli rejected allegations of “ethnic cleansing” following Azerbaijan’s September 2023 operation to reestablish control over separatist-held areas, stressing that Azerbaijan repeatedly offered reintegration, citizenship, and cultural rights to the local Armenian population. He further clarified that all prisoners of war were returned after the 2020 ceasefire, and those currently held are separatist leaders facing charges for serious crimes under Azerbaijani law.
On cultural heritage, he noted that Azerbaijan pledges to preserve religious and historical sites, while some disputed monuments were recently built and lack historical authenticity.
The former diplomat also outlined remaining challenges to finalizing the peace accord, including the dismissal of the OSCE Minsk Group, the opening of the Azerbaijan–Nakhchivan corridor, and Armenia’s constitutional amendments regarding territorial claims.
Jahangirli concluded that lasting peace in the South Caucasus requires mutual recognition of past grievances, reopening of borders, protection of cultural heritage, and international support for the peace process, rather than biased narratives.
Anar Jahangirli currently serves as Advisor at Karabakh University in Khankendi and lectures on Public Policy at ADA University in Baku. He has previously held senior roles in diplomacy, education, and international development, and is a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
