Peace with Azerbaijan an 'illusion' while Aliyev rejects international law, Armenian expert says

Peace negotiations with Azerbaijan are an illusion as long as its leadership dismisses international law, Armenian constitutional law expert Gohar Meloyan said, commenting on recent remarks by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

In a social media post on Friday, Meloyan referred to Aliyev’s recent interview in which he stated that “there is no international law, only the law of force”, arguing that such a position makes meaningful peace negotiations impossible.

"Any conversation about peace with a leader who openly rejects international law, especially given the current imbalance of power between Armenia and Azerbaijan, is an illusion and, at best, self-deception," the expert wrote.

Meloyan argued that the relative calm along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border should not be interpreted as the result of mutual deterrence. Instead, she claimed it stems from Armenia’s unilateral concessions. She pointed to contrasting defense policies, noting that Armenia has reduced its military budget while Azerbaijan continues to significantly increase defense spending.

She also warned that Azerbaijan is actively promoting the concept of “Western Azerbaijan” at the state level, while Armenia’s authorities have abandoned even the cultural and ideological components of a defense-oriented strategy.

Meloyan questioned whether Armenia’s current leadership is capable of governing effectively, suggesting it either misjudges Azerbaijan’s intentions or is acting in coordination with them.

“A defeated political force cannot sit at the negotiating table on the basis of equality,” she said, adding that negotiations under such conditions amount to imitation, with the weaker side reduced to a subordinate role.

According to Meloyan, restoring balance in Armenia's favor would require “professional and strong leadership guided exclusively by national interests”.