Azerbaijani Ambassador to Brazil Rashad Novruz said Azerbaijan and Armenia are continuing talks on border demarcation and reopening regional routes as they work to implement a U.S.-mediated peace agreement. (Foto: Instagram)
Azerbaijan and Armenia are continuing negotiations on a peace agreement signed in August 2025 with U.S. mediation, but the accord has not yet been ratified by either country’s legislature. Azerbaijani Ambassador to Brazil Rashad Novruz described the ongoing talks at an event in Brasília on Thursday, Nov. 5.
Negotiators are discussing border demarcation and the reopening of regional routes that were disrupted during years of conflict, Novruz said. He called the current period the “best window” for achieving lasting peace in the Caucasus, saying the two countries had never before engaged in such close discussions and dialogue.
The agreement, reached with help from the administration of President Donald Trump, was intended to advance efforts to end the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh to Armenians who lived there. The autonomous region is in Azerbaijan and is recognized by the United Nations as part of that country, although it was historically populated by ethnic Armenians.
The conflict dates to the late 1980s, when Nagorno-Karabakh’s parliament voted to unite the region with Armenia. A cease-fire mediated by Russia was signed in 1994, after which ethnic Armenians retained control of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a military operation to recover territories it had lost in the 1990s, but did not fully retake the region. Three years later, Azerbaijani forces launched a surprise offensive in Artsakh. According to the United Nations refugee agency, more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians left their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh after the episode, mainly seeking refuge in Armenia.
Despite the 2025 signing, the agreement still needs legislative approval in both countries. A major obstacle is Azerbaijan’s demand that Armenia amend its constitution to remove possible claims that could challenge Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has indicated he is willing to accept the request, but procedural hurdles have prevented the process from advancing in Armenia’s parliament.
Armenian lawmakers this week ratified a separate agreement to establish a route across Armenia connecting Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani enclave located within Armenian territory. The route is one of the regional connections under discussion as the two countries work toward implementing the broader peace agreement.
