Azerbaijani MP and political analyst Rasim Musabekov said recent parliamentary steps in both Baku and Yerevan signal parallel movement toward a peace deal, while warning that Armenia’s leadership remains constrained by its dependency on Russia.
Speaking to Daily Europe Online, Musabekov noted that Azerbaijan’s parliament convened an extraordinary sitting in early September to endorse the results of the Washington talks “with the participation of President Trump,” including the paraphing of a peace treaty and a declaration to continue normalization.
He said Armenia’s legislature backed the process as well and that Baku had simultaneously called at the OSCE to disband the Minsk Group as “no longer needed.”
On Armenia’s internal politics, Musabekov argued Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan must keep lines open with Moscow out of economic and infrastructural dependence-citing gas supplies, spare parts, fuel for the nuclear plant, and telecoms.
Still, he said Pashinyan has pressed ahead with the peace track, defeating an opposition bid to criminalize the denial of the 1915 genocide (which, Musabekov claimed, would have torpedoed normalization with Turkey).
He added there were no signs of a post-Moscow visit policy shift: “He met President Aliyev in Copenhagen; the process will move forward, and he is unlikely to give freer rein to pro-Russian forces.”
Commenting on the European Political Community gathering in Copenhagen, Musabekov dismissed Albanian PM Edi Rama’s on-camera joke to President Macron about congratulating “Albania and Azerbaijan” for peace-an allusion to Donald Trump’s verbal slip mixing up Armenia and Albania-as an “unsuccessful” attempt at humor that did little for Rama’s stature.
Turning to Moldova, Musabekov called the recent parliamentary elections “geopolitical,” arguing the result reflected the absence of a viable pro-Russian alternative while the Ukraine war continues.
He said even critics of President Maia Sandu understood there was “no alternative” to a pro-European course under current conditions. He contrasted Moldova’s reliance on EU funding with Azerbaijan’s insistence on policy independence from both Russia and the West.
Asked about double standards toward media and NGO financing, Musabekov drew a line between what he called opaque Russian funding of actors abroad and open, legal Western support, while stressing that in Azerbaijan foreign-funded political activity-especially from Russia-would not be tolerated. He said Georgia is similarly seeking a more balanced policy, despite Western criticism.
On the Russia–Ukraine war, Musabekov argued President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine toward a “new Yalta,” warning that Kyiv’s resistance is crucial for the entire post-Soviet space.
He said mobilization-style governance can be more effective at meeting clear national tasks during conflict—citing Azerbaijan’s restoration of territorial integrity—though he acknowledged that the “type of leadership” needed can change with circumstances.
Addressing “blacklists” and “enemies of the people” websites seen in some countries, Musabekov said Azerbaijan has no need for such resources: “If someone is an enemy of the people, prosecutors act; either a case is opened or the person leaves.”
He added the internet in Azerbaijan is “free,” with wide latitude for criticism, and that the state’s priority is preventing external forces—“from north, south, west or east”—from turning the domestic scene into their playground.
In closing, Musabekov said politics inevitably produces both satisfied and dissatisfied camps, and that leadership is about carrying that burden while moving the country forward.
