World reacts to peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Armenia and Azerbaijan's neighbouring countries and international institutions have reacted to the new US-brokered peace deal between Baku and Yerevan signed on Friday - overwhelmingly with enthusiasm.

However, the deal, which aims to end decades of conflict, includes a corridor planned in the Caucasus which Iran has said it will block. Iran’s foreign ministry cited concerns over the potential negative consequences of any foreign intervention near its borders.

Russia, Georgia’s opposition, and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze have all welcomed the deal, with Kobakhidze describing it as the beginning of a new era of stability and economic development.

The EU and the UN have also hailed the deal as beneficial for achieving lasting peace.

The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs posted on social media. including a link to the official statement.

In it, the recent path towards this historic agreement is briefly summarized:

"Following the finalisation of bilateral Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations on the text of the peace agreement last March, this represents an important and decisive next step towards full-fledged normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, based on mutual recognition of each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders in line with the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration."

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev, signed the agreement on Friday in the presence of US President Donald Trump in Washington, after almost four decades of a bloody conflict, centred around the disputed region of Karabakh. In September 2023, Azerbaijan had reclaimed full control of the region after a successful military campaign.