In a world where the post\u2013World War II security architecture is unraveling and global crises are intensifying, the meeting in Abu Dhabi may signify more than the end of centuries-old enmity between Armenians and Azerbaijanis\u2014it could also emerge as a powerful contribution to international peace.<\/p>\n
While the full details of the meeting have yet to be disclosed, that silence alone suggests that one of the longest-running conflicts in the Caucasus may be nearing its resolution. Just a month ago, the skies over the United Arab Emirates were shaken by rocket fire as Israeli and Iranian bombers exchanged strikes. Today, Ilham Aliyev\u2019s choice of an Arab nation for his peace initiative speaks volumes. It\u2019s not just a matter of turning to a neutral and uninvolved country\u2014it\u2019s also a symbolic message to the war-torn Middle East: \u201cLet peace come here too.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1994, when the First Karabakh War came to an end, there were 27 million refugees worldwide. By 2020, Azerbaijanis had taken their fate into their own hands and ended a centuries-long exile\u2014bringing down the global refugee count by one million. Yet due to ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, Palestine, and elsewhere, the number of people forced from their homes has now reached an all-time high: 124 million.<\/p>\n
Karabakh is more than just a region\u2014it is a tectonic plate, one whose significance far exceeds its geographic size. That\u2019s why the President says, \u201cWe\u2019ve shifted the global political landscape.\u201d But signing a peace treaty is not about uniting against former empires, expelling them from the region, or seeking revenge for a colonial past. Enough\u2014we\u2019ve been dragged into too many conflicts already. Azerbaijan wants peace: in the Caucasus and throughout the world.<\/p>\n
When the President calls on foreign powers to take their hands off our region, he speaks not just as Azerbaijan\u2019s leader, but as a voice for the entire Caucasus. In the past hundred years, no other head of state has had such a profound influence on the fate of Georgians, Armenians, and Azerbaijanis as Ilham Aliyev.<\/p>\n
For three centuries, empires have vied for dominance in the Caucasus\u2014first the Russian and Ottoman empires, then Britain and imperial Iran\u2014sacrificing their bravest and most determined sons along the way. Between 1722 and 1877 alone, the Russian Empire lost more than 43,000 elite soldiers, over 150,000 were wounded, and each year over 10% of its budget was drained in vain. Neither the British navy nor the German armies managed to claim Baku\u2019s oil without bloodshed. That\u2019s why we appeal to the heirs of those empires: you\u2019ve lost more to war than we have. Now let\u2019s choose to gain from peace!<\/p>\n
Baku and Yerevan have the historical potential to unite around a shared vision \u2014 turning the region into a space of peace, stability, and mutual respect for all its peoples. Otherwise, the empires will go on exploiting the Armenian people until none are left. Let the wars in Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria come to an end \u2014 just as the conflict in Karabakh has.<\/p>\n
Ilham Aliyev is a builder of peace. As President of Azerbaijan, he seeks to free the Armenian people from centuries of subjugation in service to imperial ambitions \u2014 from a legacy of hostility, a vengeful historical mindset, the glorification of genocide, a culture of occupation, and from religious institutions that call for war.<\/p>\n
Our victory in the Patriotic War is what transformed Etchmiadzin into a true house of God. After centuries, the Catholicosate now has a chance to break free from the legacy of enmity, from rituals once tied to war and military funerals, and from the blind acceptance of calls to kill.<\/p>\n
Today, most of the forces opposed to peace are behind bars \u2014 either in the detention centers of Baku\u2019s State Security Service or in Yerevan. The destinies of Baku and Yerevan have always been closely linked. In public discussions, it is often Armenians who say, \u201cSign the agreement.\u201d Both peoples want peace \u2014 even if the wounds are still fresh, even if rebuilding trust will take years, and even if the return of liberated lands demands hundreds of billions in investment. The time has come to put an end to war.<\/p>\n
If there is no war, trenches will give way to bridges, barracks will be replaced with schools, and alleys of honor \u2014 once reserved for fallen soldiers \u2014 will become playgrounds for kindergartens. The call to prayer from mosques will bring joy not only to followers of the Prophet Muhammad but also to believers in Jesus and Moses. Peace will be a cause for celebration for all. And future generations will no longer inherit a legacy of genocide and hatred!<\/p>\n
The \u201cAliyev Peace Agreement\u201d will mark a historic victory for a people who have endured defeat from Kurakchay to Kars!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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