Long-term peace has already been established between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the agreements reached have not remained merely on paper, and both sides are demonstrating political will, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at a joint press statement with European Council President António Costa, according to an Azerbaijani media report.

"We are already living in conditions of long-term peace. Over the past seven months, we have begun supplying petroleum products to Armenia. We have lifted all restrictions on the transit of goods from other countries to Armenia through our territory. This once again demonstrates our strong political will."

According to him, peace has been concluded forever. "Sometimes such documents can remain on paper for some time. In our case — from the last bloody military confrontation with Armenia in September 2023 to peace in August 2025 — I believe this is the best indicator that people can reconcile if both sides demonstrate political will and commitment to peace. There is nothing better than peace. Only those who have experienced war truly understand its value. Therefore, I think it is important for countries like ours to recognize peace with each other," Aliyev said.

He noted that the peace process is positively affecting the region's transit potential. "We are striving for closer interaction, as cooperation with many countries is needed to reach the European continent — transit and connectivity issues are important. Especially now, after we reached a preliminary peace agreement with Armenia, new opportunities have emerged for expanding the Middle Corridor, which strengthens our optimism."