Day: September 14, 2025

Schmidt wants Wallabies to believe ahead of visit to All Blacks stronghold  reut.rs/3I0TA2S  reut.rs/3I0TA2S

— Reuters (@Reuters) Sep 14, 2025

This topic is becoming interesting. Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the statement of  #Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan that Turkey expects the  #Armenia– #Azerbaijan peace agreement to be signed at the beginning of 2026.

“The signing of the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace agreement within the shortest possible timeframe will be a most serious step toward the institutionalization of established peace. When on March 13 of this year the agreement on the text of the Armenia–Azerbaijan treaty was announced, the Armenian side simultaneously expressed its readiness for the swift signing of the agreement.
This approach was reaffirmed on August 8 with the initialing of the agreement, which, as an important event marking the establishment of peace, received broad international support.

Armenia’s principled position regarding the date of signing has not changed: the signing of the agreement within the shortest possible timeframe will be a most serious step toward the institutionalization of established peace,” Ani Badalyan emphasized.

Why is the topic becoming interesting? Because Armenia and Turkey appear to be in the same camp regarding the timeframe for signing the peace agreement, while Azerbaijan is on the opposite side. This is unprecedented. Never before have Armenia’s and Turkey’s positions been closer to each other than Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s. In essence, Ankara is officially demonstrating that it supports the earliest possible opening of the border with Armenia, while sending a message to Azerbaijan that official Baku should sign the treaty at the beginning of 2026.

At this moment, it can be said that the ball is in Azerbaijan’s court. It will be interesting to hear the position of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry. Something tells me that Azerbaijan’s MFA will repeat its previous stance, namely that the treaty is ready to be signed after Armenia changes its Constitution. However, of course, I do not rule out that Baku and Ankara might decide to sign the treaty in the first half of 2026.

That would guarantee the victory of Nikol Pashinyan’s political party in the parliamentary elections of June 6, 2026. Only in the event of Pashinyan’s victory will Turkey gain the opportunity to use the road passing through Armenia’s territory. Only in the event of Pashinyan’s victory will Azerbaijan be able to obtain a de jure guarantee that the Karabakh conflict is closed once and for all. Only in the event of Pashinyan’s victory will the United States be able to implement the Trump Route project.

I do not rule out that Pashinyan will receive such external support in the form of signing the Peace Agreement in the first half of 2026. Incidentally, if the agreement is signed before the constitutional referendum, Nikol Pashinyan will more easily be able to push for changes to the New Constitution. He will tell the public that the treaty with Azerbaijan has already been signed, and that the Constitution is not being changed at Ilham Aliyev’s demand.

I don’t want to exclude the possibility that a decision might be made to follow this path. Let’s wait for Baku’s official response to the statements of the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministries.

— Robert Ananyan (@robananyan) Sep 14, 2025

Falcons leave shaky Younghoe Koo home, eleveate K Parker Romo  reut.rs/3KmdAxp  reut.rs/3KmdAxp

— Reuters (@Reuters) Sep 14, 2025