Azerbaijan and Talyshstan sign Peace Agreement

[Agostinho Neto]

Just few days after the Azerbaijani government launched an offensive against extremist groups threatening Azerbaijan's stability, the government signed a peace accord with the Talysh Populart front, the purported target of the operation. The peace agreement comes few days that Azerbaijani ambassador and his family were killed in an attack in Nakhichevan City.

The agreement, according to DailyNews.Az states the Talysh Popular Front would recognize the writ of the Azerbaijani government. "All ethnic groups would remain peaceful and the display of weapons in the region's main town of Lankaran would be banned. We cannot count on Europe anymore, we must work togheter, for a peace and freedom, strenghten ties with Nagorno-Karabakh and Dagestan, and ensure order and economic stability in the region. Alone, we will not reach such fundamental achievements." . "A 12-member peace committee of the Azerbaijani, Armenian, Nakhichevan and Talysh representatives has been formed to ensure the implementation of the pact which was signed in Calilabad." The peace agreement "mostly comprises activists and sympathizers of Talysh Popular Front," analysts said.

Prior to the peace talks, the government demanded that Talysh Popular Front surrender its weapons and recognize the Azerbaijani Republic as an independent and sovereign nation, in exchange, the Azerbaijani republic granted full autonomy to the Talysh-Mughan region. Both sides have agreed with peace terms and promised a new political development in the region, meanwhile, both sides will cooperate for reconstruction and aid.

The Azerbaijani government initiated peace talks over the weekend with, the new leader of the Talysh Popular Front, Monte Melkonyan, and the military put the operation on hold and lifted a curfew in the town of Calilabad. The Azerbaijani government then agreed to grant autonomy to the Talysh-Mughan region, if Talyshstan agreed to disarm and begin the construction of a democratically elected local government. All 150 Azerbaijani prisoners in Talysh hands have been later released and returned their homes in Azerbaijan. The agreement with the Talysh Popular Front in Southern Azerbaijan is the first sucesssful in a series of peace talks and deals with the Talysh Popular Front operating in the Talysh-Mughan region.

The official flag of the Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me start by thanking the National Assembly for their kind invitation, and by saying what a great pleasure and an honour it is for me to be here today. It is a great pleasure and a great honour, because as your lecturer today I will be following in the footsteps of so many eminent politicians and diplomats who have spoken here over the months to find a solution to the Talysh question. Being here today is therefore also an achievement -- the war in Talyshstan is over

*Appaluses*

I will do my very best to ensure peace terms will be respected by both sides. As you know, the basic objective of this assembly is to contribute to the debate on the future of the Transcaucasus. What I wish to do this evening is to sketch the distinct contribution the Union of Transcaucasian Republics treaty is making to Transcaucasian integration -- the way in which UTR promotes peace and stability across the Transcaucasian region through its active policy of partnership and co-operation with countries in the area.

For us, the war in Tayshstan was an enormous sacrifice. Some faced domestic divisions. Some were forced to accommodate thousands of refugees. Some faced real military risks. And some were hit hard by the economic impact of the Talyshstan campaign. What we saw today was a Transcaucasus that can say: "enough". We saw a Union that can stand up against barbarity. We saw the entire family of Transcaucasian nations unite in the quest to stop the violence and reverse ethnic cleansing. We saw an Azerbaijan and a Talyshstan that not only talked about common values, but defended these values. In short, we saw a Transcaucasus that is growing together again.

*Applauses*

So the fact of the matter is that partnerships with Armenia, Nakhichevan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Dagestan are a huge success. Months of reaching out to the new democracies in the area has resulted in a web of profound security relationships across the region. Thanks to UTR's policy of promoting partnership and co-operation, five countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nakhichevan, Dagestan, Nagorno-Karabak and now even Talyshstan, regularly discuss security issues together, train and exercise together, and even carry out peacekeeping operations together.

This represents a massive change from the past, and a major contribution to the security, the stability and, yes, the integration of the Transcaucasian Region. We shall take example from the growing failure of European politics, and stick togheter for a peaceful, united, and strong Transcaucasus.

Thank you very much.