Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has warned that peace in the South Caucasus may be at risk due to Azerbaijan's position.

In an interview with Brazil's Correio Braziliense newspaper during his official visit to Brazil, Mirzoyan discussed the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process in detail.

Asked when the peace agreement might come into effect, he said, “Peace may be at risk due to Azerbaijan,” citing recent signals from Baku, according to Armenia's Foreign Ministry.

“'Peace agreement' sounds good, but so far we’ve only completed the draft. It includes a preamble and 17 articles. After lengthy talks, we reached a consensus on the text. We publicly announced our readiness to consult with our Azerbaijani counterparts to set a time and place for signing.”

“Unfortunately, what we hear from Azerbaijan is: ‘We agree on the text, but that alone is not enough. There are additional preconditions to discuss for the treaty to be signed.’ These include proposed changes to Armenia’s Constitution and limitations on the supply of weapons and ammunition to Armenia.”

Mirzoyan said Armenia had also proposed several initiatives to help normalize relations.

“For example, we proposed a bilateral mechanism for arms control and verification. Azerbaijan responded negatively. Just last week, they issued false accusations claiming Armenian troops violated the ceasefire. However, the European Union Monitoring Mission, which observes the border area, reported no violations by Armenia. We asked Azerbaijan for any evidence to investigate the matter.”

“We also proposed a bilateral verification mechanism for border incidents. Even if a peace agreement is signed and diplomatic ties are established, more will be needed for lasting peace. We’ve suggested opening up transport and infrastructure links. Azerbaijan needs our railways to connect its territories. They could also use our infrastructure to access Turkey, the Mediterranean, and beyond. In return, Armenia could gain access to Azerbaijan’s railway network. But again, no positive response.”

“Yes, the draft agreement is ready, but Azerbaijan presents new preconditions and rejects our proposals that could lead to real, lasting peace in the South Caucasus.”

Concluding, the minister reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to peace, while warning that Baku's stance poses serious risks.

“I assure the world and Azerbaijan that Armenia is fully committed to peace. We have neither the intention, reason, nor incentive to start another war or escalate. The good news is the draft agreement is finalized. The bad news: peace may be endangered due to Azerbaijan,” Mirzoyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly stated that the peace agreement draft with Azerbaijan has been finalized and awaits signing. On March 13, the Foreign Ministry confirmed Armenia had accepted Azerbaijan's proposals on two unresolved articles, declaring readiness for consultations on the signing date and venue. Azerbaijan has since introduced new preconditions and claimed it is too early to set a meeting date.