In an interview with BBC World on December 19, Hikmet Hajiyev, the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and the Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, stated that Azerbaijan and Armenia have managed to surprise the world with a positive agenda. 

"The military conflict has come to an end. Azerbaijan has restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity, ending 30 years of military occupation. After the end of the 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan declared that it is ready to sign a peace treaty with Armenia. Our country proposed the fundamental principles and text of the peace agreement. Currently, diplomatic negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan are ongoing. These are direct negotiations," he emphasized.

According to Hajiyev, Baku and Yerevan managed to surprise the world with a positive agenda. "On December 7, the two countries, through the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan] and the Prime Minister's Office [of Armenia], made a joint statement on their intention to advance the peace agenda as well as confidence-building measures. The last three months can be considered the calmest period in the history of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations since the two countries' independence. There is no war, no atrocities, no confrontation, soldiers are returning to their barracks. Relative peace has been secured, now it is time to turn it into a long-term peace, including the signing of a peace treaty. Azerbaijan supports a peaceful agenda in the region," the official noted.