On the sidelines of the event on "Decolonization: Empowerment and Development of Women" held in Baku on November 21, Hikmet Hajiyev, the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, said that it was Azerbaijan that initiated the signing of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia should understand that the roots of peace are not in Washington but in the region.

According to him, Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that it does not see any obstacle in signing a peace treaty if Armenia shows goodwill. "However, Armenia should understand that the roots of peace are not in Washington but in the region. For us, the war is over, and a new status quo has emerged. The previous status quo was completely different and unacceptable. International law is the basis of the current status quo. Therefore, there was no obstacle to signing the peace treaty. It is difficult to say whether peace will be seen shortly. Instead of bringing third parties to the region, it is necessary to advance the negotiations between the two parties. The closing of the doors is the result of the invading and aggressive policy of Armenia. If Armenia presents a positive agenda in the region, of course, relations can be normalized," Hajiyev said.

Moreover, the Azerbaijani official said that Landmine Monitor 2023 has added Armenia to its list of countries producing antipersonnel mines. "Despite Armenia's denial, this very fact once again proves Azerbaijan's grounded claims against Armenia for transporting and implanting landmines to the territories of Azerbaijan since the end of 44 Days of War in 2020," he said.

"With access to liberated territories, through technical surveys, it has been identified that Armenia implanted millions more landmines in the then-occupied lands of Azerbaijan. As a result, more than 340 Azerbaijanis have become victims of landmine blasts since November 2020," he added.