BAKU, Sept 10 (AZERTAC/APP) : “On September 1, 2025, the closure of the OSCE Minsk Group marked a historic step, as it indicated the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.The group was created to mediate the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and since this conflict has ended, it is no longer needed,” said Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director of the Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future (PRCCSF).
The Pakistani expert then noted, “By calling the group an ineffective and obsolete tool, Azerbaijan had repeatedly rejected its role as a mediator in the peace talks. It argued that the group failed to deliver meaningful results. The Joint Appeal by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the closure of the Minsk Process, and its subsequent formal closure, clearly show that diplomacy has taken precedence over the nominal efforts of stagnant mediation structures.”
President Ilham Aliyev, whose diplomatic leadership and guidance have been crucial in bridging the gaps between Azerbaijan and Armenia and fostering friendly relations between the two countries, stands at the center of this new chapter. His firm and pragmatic approach helped convert decades of enmity into real progress, resulting in peace agreements that marked the end of the Minsk Group. His vision and commitment to peaceful coexistence had been the cornerstone of a new era, in which former enemies stand at the threshold of genuine friendship, making the world a better place for it.