Relationship dossier
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Relationship assessment
A deeply adversarial relationship shaped by war and unresolved disputes, with limited steps toward negotiated peace and border delimitation.
Armenia toward Azerbaijan
-65Armenia fought Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and signed the November 2020 ceasefire statement. In 2022, Armenia’s prime minister publicly recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity within its Soviet-era borders, and Armenia took part in the 2024 border-delimitation process, including transferring control of four border villages to Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan toward Armenia
-80Azerbaijan fought Armenia in the 2020 war and launched a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023. Azerbaijan also participated in negotiations with Armenia and in the 2024 border-delimitation process, which resulted in Armenia transferring control of four border villages.
Overall relationship
-75The relationship remains structured by the legacy of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the 2020 war, Azerbaijan’s 2023 operation and unresolved border and peace questions. The 2020 ceasefire, Armenia’s 2022 recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and the 2024 border-delimitation process represent meaningful but limited diplomatic steps against a backdrop of sustained confrontation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Armenia and Azerbaijan have a deeply adversarial relationship shaped by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, repeated armed clashes and unresolved border and peace arrangements. Both governments have also taken steps toward a negotiated settlement: Armenia recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity in a 2022 statement, and the two sides agreed on a border-delimitation process in 2024. These steps have not removed the central disputes or the effects of military confrontations.
Areas of tension
- The status and consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- The displacement of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population following Azerbaijan’s 2023 operation
- Unresolved border delimitation and territorial claims
- The terms and implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement
Key developments
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed a statement ending active fighting in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and setting out ceasefire arrangements.
At a meeting in Prague, Armenia’s prime minister recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity within its Soviet-era borders.
Azerbaijan launched a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, after which the region’s Armenian authorities agreed to disarm and dissolve their institutions.
The two governments agreed on a protocol for delimiting part of their border; the process led to Armenia transferring control of four border villages to Azerbaijan.
Major uncertainties
- The extent to which the parties will implement a comprehensive peace agreement is unclear.
- The final demarcation of the Armenia–Azerbaijan border remains unresolved.