Armenia and Azerbaijan have announced that they have agreed on the terms of a peace treaty to end nearly four decades of conflict. The South Caucasus countries are expected to provide a timeline for signing the deal,

Armenian and Azerbaijani officials said on Thursday that they had agreed the text of a peace agreement to end nearly four decades of conflict between the South Caucasus countries, a sudden breakthrough in a fitful and often bitter peace process.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left) and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev speak at the BRICS summit in Russia in October 2024. The two sides announced on March 13, 2025, that the text of the peace agreement between them has been finalized, but it is unclear when, or even if, it will be signed. (Photo: Ramil Sitdikov/brics-russia2024.ru)

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s, when Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan that had a mostly Armenian population at the time, broke away from Baku with Yerevan's support.

Armenia and Azerbaijan were locked in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for nearly four decades after the Soviet Union they were both members of collapsed. Here is a look at the history of the conflict and the latest developments as Armenian and Azerbaijani officials said on Thursday that they had agreed the text of a peace agreement.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process is going sideways, with belligerent rhetoric displacing hopes that a lasting settlement is within reach.

But hurdles remain. Azerbaijan also said Armenia’s constitution must “eliminate the claims against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” as a prerequisite to allow for the signing of the peace treaty.