Armenia and Azerbaijan Rebuild Trade Despite Treaty Delay

Two countries once locked in bitter conflict are quietly building bridges through trade and cooperation, proving that peace doesn't always need a signed document to take root.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are expanding economic ties and restoring direct diplomatic contacts, even though a comprehensive peace treaty remains unsigned. Most notably, Azerbaijan has resumed supplying oil products to Armenia after years of war, a powerful symbol of normalizing relations between the former adversaries.

The holdup isn't about hostility. Azerbaijan wants Armenia to first amend its constitution, which references a Soviet-era declaration calling for reunification with Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku views this language as an implicit territorial claim over its sovereign land and has made removing it a prerequisite for signing a final peace accord.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan plans to hold a referendum to draft a new constitution without the disputed wording. However, his party lacks the parliamentary majority needed to move the process forward smoothly, leaving the timeline uncertain.

The Bright Side

While lawyers debate constitutional text, ordinary people are already experiencing what officials call "real peace." Trade flows are increasing, direct contacts between the countries have expanded, and practical cooperation is replacing decades of hostility.

The progress is remarkable given the history. The two nations fought for years over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous enclave that was home to ethnic Armenians but internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. A 2023 Azerbaijani offensive ended the breakaway region, forcing over 100,000 residents to flee.

Yet even after that trauma, both countries are choosing economic partnership over continued isolation. The restoration of oil deliveries alone represents a major step, as energy trade requires trust, infrastructure cooperation, and ongoing contact between officials.

Diplomats on both sides acknowledge that a signed peace treaty would formalize and strengthen these gains. But the expanding trade and dialogue show that peace is already being built from the ground up, one shipment and one conversation at a time.

Constitutional amendments take time, especially in democracies where public referendums and parliamentary procedures matter. What's encouraging is that neither country is waiting for perfect paperwork before rebuilding the practical ties that improve lives and create shared interests in stability.

Sometimes the most important peace agreements are the ones written not on paper, but in renewed trade routes and restored connections between neighbors.