STATEMENTThe recent 'peace summit' at the US White House between US President Donald J. Trump, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, whilst welcomed in bringing further international attention and some progress to the question of peace and stability to the South Caucasus, leaves critical issues unresolved and raises questions as to whether it will truly lead to a just peace.
The fact that Azerbaijan has finally and formally recognised the territorial integrity and inviolability of the territory of the Republic of Armenia based on the borders of the Soviet Armenian Republic at the time of the Almaty Declaration in December 1991 dissolving the Soviet Union, declared commitment to the non-use of force, as well as resiled from demanding an extra-territorial “corridor” through the southern Syunik region of Armenia by force or otherwise (agreeing instead to the proposed transit route to be built jointly by the USA and Armenia with full Armenian sovereignty), suggest some progress towards peace.
Nevertheless, there remain serious concerns and unresolved matters. The very same Republic of Azerbaijan had publicly and repeatedly pledged to uphold the non-use of force, territorial integrity, and the right to self-determination — core principles of the OSCE Minsk Group peace process for the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict. Yet Azerbaijan flagrantly violated these commitments, first by unleashing unprovoked military aggression against the Republic of Artsakh in 2020, and again on September 13, 2022, when it invaded Armenia, committing gross violations against Armenian female military personnel — actions condemned by Australia’s Foreign Minister — and continues to maintain its troops within Armenia’s sovereign borders in direct breach of international law.
Unfortunately, the fanfare surrounding the signing ceremony in the White House appears to be ink-washing, masking a dark reality - a reality that normalises the ethnic cleansing of over 120,000 indigenous Armenians in Artsakh from their ancestral lands after a 10 months siege and further military aggression in 202. The signing ceremony abandons twenty three Armenian POWs and other civilian/political hostages in Baku, it is silent on the continued destruction of Armenian Christian heritage and neglects Azerbaijan's ongoing occupation of Armenia's sovereign territory. The peoples of Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan deserve real and just peace.
Real peace can only be built on a foundation of justice and accountability for Azerbaijan’s continuing human rights abuses and crimes against humanity — these critical matters cannot be ignored or sidelined by ceremonies and hollow words. To allow that to occur, would set a very dangerous precedent for law-based international order.
The Armenian National Committee of Australia welcomes the Australian government's reaffirmation of its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Armenia and Azerbaijan and its encouragement for continued dialogue to secure a just and lasting peace. In this regard we urge our government to also support international efforts such as that of the Swiss parliament which approved a motion calling on the Swiss government to create a “peace forum for Nagorno Karabakh.” The motion aims to facilitate dialogue between Azerbaijan and representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh regarding the safe return of approximately 120,000 Armenians expelled from their ancestral homeland in 2023. Australia must also reiterate its calls for the release of all Armenian POWs and civilian detainees held in Baku prisons, continue to call for the protection of Armenian cultural and religious heritage, as well as the immediate withdrawal of all Azerbaijani forces within the sovereign and internationally recognised borders of Armenia.
– Armenian National Committee of Australia (12 August 2025)
