A Swiss lawmaker believes lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan can only be achieved through international pressure on Baku, as President Ilham Aliyev is not genuinely interested in reconciliation.
Stefan Müller-Altermatt, a member of the Swiss National Council, stated that Aliyev is unwilling to pursue peace with Armenia. According to Müller-Altermatt, the Azerbaijani president maintains hostility to consolidate his power and justify domestic rights violations.
"It’s probably best not to harbor too many illusions about Azerbaijan’s intentions. Ilham Aliyev is not interested in peace. On the contrary, he needs Armenia as an enemy to strengthen his rule and justify infringing on his own people’s rights," he said, as reported by Armenpress.
He added that Armenia could potentially benefit from the current strain in Azerbaijan-Russia ties and the ongoing Israel-Iran war, which might influence Baku’s behavior.
"Ultimately, peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan can only be achieved through external pressure on Azerbaijan," the Swiss MP emphasized.
On July 10, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Abu Dhabi to discuss various aspects of normalizing bilateral relations. They reaffirmed that direct dialogue is the most effective format for addressing all related issues and agreed to continue result-oriented negotiations. The meeting lasted five hours.
