The document, titled “Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan”, consists of 17 articles that the parties had worked on for more than three years to turn the page on over three decades of conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and along their borders.
According to the text of the agreement published by Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yerevan and Baku, in particular, “recognize and shall respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of international borders and political independence of each other” and “shall refrain from the use of force or the threat of use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence or in any other manner inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations.”
Both sides also undertake to “refrain from intervening with the internal affairs of each other” and “establish diplomatic relations after the exchange of instruments of ratification.”
The agreement stipulates that “the Parties shall conduct in good faith negotiations between the respective border commissions in accordance with the agreed upon regulations of the Commissions to conclude the Agreement on delimitation and demarcation of the state border between the Parties” and that they “shall not deploy along their mutual border forces of any third party.”
Pending the delimitation and subsequent demarcation of their mutual border, the Parties also agree to implement “mutually agreed security and confidence-building measures, including in the military field, with a view to ensuring security and stability in the border regions.”
The agreement further states that the Parties undertake to address cases of missing persons and enforced disappearances that occurred during the armed conflict involving both sides. This includes exchanging all available information about such individuals, either directly or in cooperation with relevant international organizations. The agreement emphasizes the importance of investigating the fate of missing persons, “searching for and returning the remains as appropriate, and ensuring that justice is served in relation to these persons through proper investigations, as a means of reconciliation and building confidence.”
Additionally, to promote cooperation in various fields – including economic, transit and transport, environmental, humanitarian, and cultural – the Parties may conclude agreements in respective areas of mutual interest.
A bilateral commission will be established to oversee the implementation of the agreement.
According to the text, “the Parties shall strive for settling any dispute with respect to the interpretation or application of this Agreement through direct consultations... Should such consultations not yield result acceptable for both Parties within 6 months, the Parties shall seek other means of peaceful dispute settlement.”
Armenia and Azerbaijan have also agreed to “withdraw, dismiss, or otherwise settle any and all interstate claims, complaints, protests, objections, proceedings, and disputes related to the issues existed between the Parties before the signing of this Agreement in any legal forum within one month from the date of entry into force of this Agreement.”
Furthermore, they commit not to initiate such “claims, complaints, protests, objections, proceedings, and shall not be involved in any manner into such claims, complaints, protests, objections, proceedings initiated against the other Party by any third-party.”