Everything About the Armenia–Azerbaijan Agreement + Full Text

On August 8, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended a ceremony at the White House alongside Donald Trump, where they signed the “Declaration of Peace.” In addition to ending the long-standing dispute in the Caucasus, the agreement also sets in motion the operation of the strategic Zangezur Corridor.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, disputes arose between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. As a result of Armenia’s intervention, part of Azerbaijan’s territory was separated from the mainland, sparking four decades of war and tension between the two states.

The recent wars between the two countries—sometimes involving the intervention and influence of regional powers—ultimately made reaching a final agreement imperative. This urgency intensified with the rise to power of Donald Trump, who was eager to present himself as a “President of Peace.” Peace talks between the two nations were accelerated under U.S. mediation, culminating on August 8 in Washington with the signing of a tripartite “Declaration of Peace” hosted by Trump.

After three days, the full text of this peace declaration was published for the first time on the website of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as presented below in its entirety:

Text and Provisions of the Armenia–Azerbaijan Peace Declaration

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan (hereinafter referred to as “the Parties”), recognizing the urgent necessity of establishing a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region, desiring to contribute to the realization of this objective through the establishment of interstate relations, inspired by the Charter of the United Nations, the “Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in Accordance with the Charter of the United Nations” (1970), the “Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe” (1975), and the “Almaty Declaration” of 21 December 1991, and aiming to develop relations on the basis of the norms and principles enshrined therein, with mutual resolve to establish good-neighborly relations between them;

Have agreed to establish peace and interstate relations on the basis of the following provisions:

Article 1
Confirming that the borders between the former Soviet Socialist Republics, after the dissolution of the USSR, have become the internationally recognized borders of the independent states, the Parties shall recognize and respect each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of international borders, and political independence.

Article 2
In full conformity with Article 1, the Parties confirm that they have no territorial claims against each other and will not make such claims in the future.

The Parties shall not undertake any actions—including planning, preparation, encouragement, or support of activities—aimed at the secession or impairment of the territorial integrity or political unity of the other Party.

Article 3
The Parties shall refrain, in their bilateral relations, from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of each other, or from any action inconsistent with the UN Charter. They shall also not permit any third country to use their territory to carry out armed action against the other Party in contravention of the UN Charter.

Article 4
The Parties shall refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.

Article 5
No later than ____ days following the exchange of instruments of ratification of this agreement by both Parties, diplomatic relations between them shall be established in accordance with the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations (1961) and Consular Relations (1963).

Article 6
In full conformity with their obligations under Article 1 of this agreement, the Parties shall, in good faith and based on the agreed rules of their border commissions, conduct negotiations to finalize the agreement on the delimitation and demarcation of their state borders.

Article 7
The Parties shall not station military forces of any third country along their shared border. Until the process of border delimitation and demarcation is completed, the Parties shall implement reciprocal security and confidence-building measures, including in the military sphere, to ensure the security and stability of border areas.

Article 8
The Parties shall condemn and combat intolerance, racial hatred and discrimination, separatism, violent extremism, and terrorism in all their forms, and shall comply with their relevant international obligations.

Article 9
The Parties undertake to address the issue of persons missing or forcibly disappeared as a result of the armed conflict between them, including by directly exchanging, or cooperating with relevant international organizations to share, all available information on such persons.

The Parties recognize the importance of investigating the fate of these persons, locating and returning remains where necessary, and ensuring the delivery of justice in their cases as a step toward reconciliation and confidence-building. The operational details of this matter shall be negotiated and agreed upon in a separate agreement.

Article 10
To establish cooperation in various fields, including economics, transit and transport, environment, humanitarian, and cultural affairs, the Parties may conclude separate agreements in areas of mutual interest.

Article 11
This agreement shall not prejudice the rights and obligations of the Parties under international law and treaties concluded by either of them with other UN member states. Each Party shall ensure that none of its existing international commitments with third states contravenes the obligations arising from this agreement.

Article 12
The Parties shall be governed, in their bilateral relations, by international law and this agreement. Neither Party may invoke its domestic laws as justification for non-performance of this agreement.

In accordance with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), the Parties shall, prior to the entry into force of this agreement, refrain from any actions that would defeat its object and purpose.

Article 13
The Parties guarantee the full implementation of this agreement and shall establish a bilateral commission to oversee its execution. This commission shall operate within a framework to be mutually agreed upon by the Parties.

Article 14
Without prejudice to the rights and obligations of the Parties under international law and other binding treaties between them, the Parties shall seek to resolve any disputes concerning the interpretation or application of this agreement through direct consultations, including within the framework of the commission referred to in Article 13. If such consultations fail to yield a mutually acceptable outcome within six months, the Parties shall resort to other peaceful means of dispute settlement.

Article 15
Without prejudice to Article 14, within one month from the date of entry into force of this agreement, the Parties shall terminate, withdraw, or otherwise resolve all claims, complaints, objections, proceedings, and legal disputes between their governments existing prior to the signing of the agreement, in any legal forum, and shall not initiate any new claims in this regard.

The Parties shall also refrain from any hostile actions—whether diplomatic, media-related, or in other fields—against each other, and shall consult regularly to prevent such actions.

Article 16
This agreement shall enter into force following the exchange of instruments confirming the completion of internal procedures in accordance with the national laws of each Party and shall be registered under Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.

Article 17
This agreement has been drawn up in Armenian, Azerbaijani, and English, all three texts being equally authentic. In the event of divergence in interpretation, the English text shall prevail.