Former Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has shared his view on the qualifications necessary for Azerbaijan’s future ambassador to Armenia. According to him, the ambassador should speak Armenian and understand the specific traits of the Armenian people.
He recalled that, according to Article 5 of the preliminary agreement between the two countries, diplomatic relations will be established some time after the exchange of documents ratifying border delimitation, in line with the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations of 1961 and 1963. Mammadyarov speculated that Azerbaijan could potentially open an embassy in Yerevan in the foreseeable future, as reported by Caucasus Chronicle.
“It’s not mandatory for the appointee to be a career diplomat. It could be someone from outside the diplomatic corps. What matters most is that they understand and know the character of the Armenian people,” he stated.
Mammadyarov clarified that the appointment of an ambassador can only be considered once a special document establishing diplomatic relations is signed — a step that would follow the ratification of the peace treaty.
“Without this document, appointing an ambassador is not possible. Only then can we discuss who the ambassador should be and how many staff members the embassy will need. The rest are technicalities,” he added.
When asked by a journalist whether he would personally consider serving as ambassador in Yerevan, Mammadyarov replied: “There is only one answer — if deemed appropriate.”
On August 8, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint declaration at the White House following trilateral talks.
During the meeting, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov preliminarily signed the “Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations Between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan” in the presence of their leaders and the U.S. President.
