Armenian, Azerbaijani officials meet in first post-election talks in Dilijan

Senior Armenian and Azerbaijani officials met in Armenia over the weekend to discuss the peace process between the two countries, in what is the highest-level visit to Armenia by an Azerbaijani official since late April. 

Armenia’s Secretary of the Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, met with Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in the northeastern Armenian resort town of Dilijan on Sunday. 

According to the Armenian readout of the meeting, the two sides “discussed a range of matters related to the peace agenda between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The importance of sustained bilateral dialogue was underscored in the context of efforts aimed at promoting lasting peace and stability in the region.” 

The parties agreed to continue their contacts, with the next meeting expected to take place in Azerbaijan. 

In comments provided to Armenian media, the Security Council said Hajiyev and his delegation entered Armenia through the 8 mile long delimited and demarcated section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border near the northeastern town of Kirants and completed all relevant border procedures before continuing on to Dilijan. 

The visit appears to signal continued engagement between the two sides following the re-election of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan last week. Some observers have questioned how the peace process might proceed after Pashinyan failed to secure the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to initiate constitutional changes on his own. Azerbaijan has insisted that Armenia amend its constitution before a final peace treaty can be signed. 

The visit follows an April meeting in Armenia between Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev, who oversee the two countries’ border delimitation process. During that visit, the sides also discussed trade, transit, and economic cooperation.

Video of Grigoryan and Hajiyev walking through Dilijan attracted attention in Armenia, with some observers noting that parts of the area they visited had been renovated through projects funded by philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan. 

Vardanyan, the former state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, has been held in Azerbaijani custody since September 2023 following Azerbaijan’s military takeover of the region and the subsequent displacement of its entire Armenian population. Earlier this year, an Azerbaijani court sentenced him to 20 years in prison. 

On Monday, Vardanyan’s wife, Veronika Zonabend, announced a new humanitarian initiative aimed at restoring contact between Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan and their families.

In a public statement, Zonabend said that 19 Armenians, including her husband, remain in Azerbaijani detention and that many have had little or no direct contact with relatives for years. She argued that the closure of the International Committee of the Red Cross office in Baku and the lack of regular humanitarian access have left detainees increasingly isolated from their families.

Zonabend announced plans to organize an international women’s humanitarian delegation to travel to Baku in the coming weeks. She called on Azerbaijan’s Human Rights Commissioner, Sabina Aliyeva, to facilitate meetings with Armenian detainees and allow the transfer of letters, photographs, family packages, and personal belongings in accordance with Azerbaijani law.

“This initiative is not a political act,” Zonabend wrote. “It is an attempt to restore at least a minimal connection between those in detention, their families, and all those who care about their fate.” 

As part of the initiative, organizers have begun collecting letters of support for Armenian detainees, which they hope to deliver during the proposed visit.