In an interview with EU Today published on the eve of November 16, Hikmet Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani presidential aide and the head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, said that Azerbaijan's agenda is currently aimed at normalization of bilateral relations with Armenia.

"Armenia's illegal regime is now disarmed and withdrawn from the territory of Azerbaijan. This means that now there are no obstacles to the conclusion of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We believe that this is a historic opportunity to build a sustainable peace based on the five fundamental principles that Azerbaijan has offered to the Armenian side," Hajiyev said.

He said Azerbaijan has created a model for solving one of the most protracted conflicts in Eurasia, pointing out that the era of occupation and injustice is over. "Azerbaijan's agenda is now aimed at establishing peace and normalizing bilateral relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But any peaceful interaction requires both sides to play their part, and Armenia must also demonstrate goodwill. We have already submitted the fifth revised version of the (draft) peace treaty to the Armenian side, but more than two months have passed, and they still have not responded," the senior official complained.

The Azerbaijani official further spoke about the new realities in the region. "We would like to build a new regional security architecture based on the principles of justice, recognizing each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty and ending all territorial claims. I think we should conclude peace, and other partners can also support this agreement," Hajiyev said. "First of all, peace and regional security are not in Brussels, Paris, Washington, Moscow or anywhere else. Peace lies in the region itself," he added.