MP: Abu Dhabi meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders is a logical continuation of the Washington agreement

The meeting held in Abu Dhabi between the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia can be assessed as the beginning of a new stage in peace negotiations and should be regarded as a logical continuation of the agreements reached on August 8, 2025.

This was stated by Member of Parliament Hikmet Babaoğlu in a comment to The Daily Baku.

According to him, the agreements reached on that date are already being implemented step by step in practical terms, and the statement released after the Abu Dhabi meeting, listing the achievements made during this period, can in fact be seen as a report on the progress achieved so far.

The MP noted that concrete steps have been taken to achieve peace from August 8 up to the present day, and these steps have created a solid foundation for further advancing the process.

Hikmet Babaoğlu emphasized that the meeting held in Abu Dhabi should be viewed on two levels. The first level is the one on one meeting between the leaders, which lasted approximately 25 minutes. The second level is the expanded meeting held with the participation of the delegations. In his view, both formats are highly significant. This is because there are currently no official diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and under such conditions, a one on one meeting between the leaders demonstrates the formation of a climate of mutual trust.

According to the MP, the normalization of Armenia Azerbaijan relations is an extremely difficult and sensitive process, and in this process, the formation of trust from the top down rather than from the bottom up is of particular importance. The one on one meeting between the two leaders can be considered a positive example in this regard.

Hikmet Babaoğlu also noted that the composition of the delegations is noteworthy. Professionals who have been selected and trusted by the leaders of both countries to achieve peace and normalize relations participated in the meeting. This made it possible to discuss all existing problems on the path to peace separately, listen to the reports of the delegations, and make concrete decisions.

The MP stated that the Abu Dhabi meeting is also of great importance in the context of the planned visit of the US Vice President to Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as discussions related to the Zangezur corridor and the TRIPP route.

“The TRIPP route is linked to a legal document to be signed between Armenia and the United States, but one of the third and key parties here is Azerbaijan. This is because, ultimately, this route will connect Azerbaijan with Azerbaijan,” he said.

Hikmet Babaoğlu added that the statement made by the Armenian Ministry of Justice on the day of the visit regarding constitutional amendments should not be overlooked. In his opinion, the work being carried out on the Constitution and the information that the final text will be presented in the coming months can be considered a positive signal for the peace process. This is because the presence of territorial claims against Azerbaijan in Armenia’s Constitution is one of the main factors preventing the signing of a peace agreement.

The MP stressed that, by summarizing all these points, it can be said that in the future, when speaking about the Azerbaijan Armenia peace process, the concepts of the “Abu Dhabi diplomatic line” or the “Abu Dhabi diplomatic tradition” may take shape.

“Previous meetings held in Abu Dhabi had paved the way for the August 8 agreements, and the current meeting may also be remembered as the beginning of a new stage toward the signing of a peace treaty,” he said.

Hikmet Babaoğlu concluded by noting that the neutral position of the United Arab Emirates, its support for peace, and its international standing play an important role in this process, and it is precisely these factors that make Abu Dhabi a reliable platform for Azerbaijan Armenia peace dialogue.