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As a result of the meetings and negotiations conducted by President Ilham Aliyev, a new format - the Brussels peace agenda - was created in the post-war period.

The first tripartite meeting was held on December 14, 2021, thus the Brussels peace agenda was laid by President Ilham Aliyev and Charles Michel.

After the end of the Patriotic War, the proposals and initiatives of Azerbaijan in the direction of cooperation in the region, including the restoration of communication relations, the opening of the Zangezur corridor, began to be supported by the international community. The European Union also expressed its support for the issue of communications reflected in the tripartite statements of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia dated November 10, 2020, January 11, 2021, and November 26, 2021.

Before the tripartite meeting in Brussels, President Ilham Aliyev made it clear at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that the legal regime of the Zangezur Corridor should be the same as that of the Lachin Corridor.

The issue on which Armenians want to make political maneuvers the most is the Zangezur corridor. They wanted to get unilateral dividends for themselves by opening this corridor during the negotiations. However, the position of President Ilham Aliyev on this issue was firm.

At the Brussels negotiations, Armenia confirmed its commitment to build a railway line through its territory. In addition to the railway, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia also discussed the construction of the highway through the Zangezur corridor. After this issue is realized, the unhindered movement of vehicles and goods between the main part of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan will be possible. The steps taken by Azerbaijan in the direction of opening the Zangezur Corridor and restoring other communication links are an important contribution of our country to peace and cooperation in the region, and this is fully supported by the European Union.

The visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Brussels on April 6 of this year, his next meetings with the President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the results achieved are considered as Azerbaijan's next diplomatic success.

The meeting in Brussels showed that Pashinyan and his patrons in the West are well aware that the Karabakh problem has been resolved, there is no turning back, and that attempts to put forward additional conditions will not work.

The results of the meeting indicate that the new realities created by Azerbaijan after the 44-day Patriotic War and the 5-point proposal for a peace agreement were accepted by both Europe and Armenians. This means that the peace processes in the region are based on the agenda put forward by Azerbaijan.

It is clear from Mr. Michel's statement on the results of the second Brussels meeting that concrete agreements have already been reached on specific issues. The first of these is related to the delimitation and demarcation of the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Emphasizing the importance of delimitation and demarcation of bilateral borders, the EU President noted that in accordance with the Sochi Declaration of November 26, 2021, it was agreed to organize a Joint Border Commission by the end of April. The mandate of the Joint Border Commission includes the delimitation of the bilateral border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ensuring a stable security situation along and near the border line.

One of the main issues at the meeting in Brussels is the discussion of the five-point proposal that Azerbaijan sent to the other side for the signing of a peace agreement with Armenia based on international law. It was decided to give the foreign ministers the task of working on the preparation of a future peace agreement covering all necessary issues.

At the meeting, positive approaches regarding the creation of an environment of mutual trust, humanitarian steps, the fate of missing persons, and the demining process were revealed. In his statement, President Charles Michel emphasized the importance of humanitarian steps by both sides to promote trust and peaceful coexistence. The EU also continues to provide expert advice and increase financial assistance, as well as assistance to the conflict-affected population, in recovery and reconstruction, it was emphasized that it will continue to support measures to strengthen confidence between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as humanitarian demining efforts.

One of the highlights of the Brussels meeting was the discussion of the restoration and creation of transport and communication lines between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as in the South Caucasus as a whole.

It should be emphasized as an important point that the term "Nagorno-Karabakh" was not included in both the meeting and the Statement, and the name of the co-chairman institution of the OSCE Minsk Group was not mentioned. It was the President of Azerbaijan who declared that there is no territorial unit called "Nagorno-Karabakh" and that this expression is no longer used.

Brussels meeting is the next and important stage of Ilham Aliyev's political victory. The peace model proposed by President Ilham Aliyev plays a key role for the security and development of not only Azerbaijan, but also all the states of the region.

The meeting in Brussels and the statement made by the Armenian Foreign Ministry suggest that Yerevan already understands that the only option to get out of the current difficult situation, to develop and strengthen its economy is to accept the peace agreement offered by Azerbaijan without reservation.

The Brussels negotiations once again confirmed that Armenia, which is forced to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, has no other way out than joining the formation of a peaceful environment in the region by renouncing all groundless claims.

The meeting in Brussels, which lasted for more than 4 and a half hours, gives reason to conclude that a new mechanism and format for direct negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is emerging with the support of the European Union. The conclusions of both the first and the second Brussels meeting suggest that some progress has already been made. The main reason for expressing a positive opinion on the basis of only two meetings is that, unlike previous initiators and mediators, the EU accepts neutrality, impartiality and international law as they are. That is the reason why Azerbaijan prefers this format.

President Michel said that he is working closely on the elimination of tensions, deepening cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan and stated that the European Union is committed to promoting a safe, stable, peaceful and prosperous South Caucasus for the benefit of all peoples living in the region. Ensuring peace and security in the South Caucasus is also in the interest of the European Union (EU), and the tripartite meeting is the next important step towards establishing peace in the region.

Adiba Ismayilova

Head of "Khagani 57" territorial party organization

of the New Azerbaijan Party of the Sabail district