The bilateral nature of the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia is more encouraging than the platforms on which the EU, US and Russia put forward their own geopolitical agendas, UK journalist Onnik Krikorian said.

"As for whether peace is possible in 2024, it must be remembered that the same question was asked in 2022 and 2023, so nothing can be certain. We can only hope that in 2024 it will finally happen. Of course, this time the chances are higher, since Karabakh as a de facto Armenian political entity within Azerbaijan no longer exists,” he said.

However, according to the journalist, this does not mean that "everything is running smoothly.” Once any agreement is signed, there are many issues to be addressed and this will require genuine political will as well as the support of civil society, he said.

"The international community should also support such processes. Moreover, I believe that real contacts between people will be necessary, and not what we currently have in the form of meetings between Armenian and Azerbaijani analysts and political activists, many of whom are opposed to peace treaty,” he noted.

Krikorian emphasized that the media could also begin to cover real life in each other’s countries in order to destroy stereotypes, rather than endlessly escalate the situation with almost exclusively negative stories.

"At the moment I am cautiously optimistic and expect some confirmation of progress and signs of a change in the situation this month. Much should become clearer by the end of January,” he concluded.

www.anews.az