AZE.US
President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan is already witnessing the benefits of peace with Armenia, describing the current period as a new stage of transformation for the South Caucasus.
In an address to participants of the 82nd session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Aliyev said Azerbaijan had fully restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity and had moved forward with a peace agenda with Armenia.
He said the region had undergone profound change since his first address to the platform in 2021. According to Aliyev, a historic step in the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia was achieved at the Washington summit held last August under the hosting of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Today, we are witnessing the fruits of peace,” Aliyev said.
He said trade relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia had already begun, while Azerbaijan was currently providing Armenia with transit access. He added that mutual visits by civil society representatives were also helping build trust between the two countries.
Aliyev presented those developments as part of a broader regional shift following the end of the conflict, saying peace had opened the way for new economic, transport and diplomatic opportunities.
He also linked that process to Azerbaijan’s large-scale reconstruction campaign in the territories retaken after the conflict. According to Aliyev, the Great Return program is moving ahead, with more than 80,000 people having already returned to Karabakh and East Zangezur to live, work and study.
At the same time, he said landmines remain one of the most serious humanitarian and development threats in the post-war period. Aliyev said more than 400 Azerbaijani civilians had been killed or injured in mine explosions since the end of the conflict in 2020.
Beyond the peace process, Aliyev told the session that Azerbaijan continues to position itself as a key transport and energy hub at a time of rising geopolitical uncertainty.
He said the importance of the Middle Corridor was growing in the current environment and argued that the Zangezur Corridor would further strengthen regional connectivity by linking Asia and Europe through wider transport, energy and digital networks.
Aliyev also said Azerbaijan remained a reliable contributor to energy security across different regions and pointed to the country’s expanding international role through platforms including the Organization of Turkic States, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and COP29.
He said Azerbaijan will next month host the 13th session of the World Urban Forum and invited participants to attend, saying the country was ready to share its experience in large-scale reconstruction and sustainable urban development.
AZE.US