Baku, August 13
The recent initialing of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia — in the White House with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and U.S. President Donald Trump — has sparked discussions about what could follow a final peace deal. One question gaining traction on social media, including Caliber.Az, is whether the two countries might one day open embassies in each other’s capitals.
A Diplomatic Past in the Heart of Baku
Few may realize that Armenia once had an embassy in Azerbaijan, right in the heart of Baku. This was during the brief existence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) from 1918 to 1920, when the First Republic of Armenia maintained a diplomatic mission at 5 Telephone Street. At the time, the Armenian envoy was G.A. Bekzadyan.
The street itself has gone through several name changes over the years — Romanov Prospect, 28 April Street, and William Lindley Street — before becoming part of 28 May Street. Today, the building’s official address is 5 28 May Street, at the intersection with Rashid Beybutov Street, near Secondary School No. 23 in Baku’s Nasimi District.
Architectural Heritage
The building is considered an architectural monument, constructed between 1895 and 1898 by Johann Wilhelm Edel — later known as Ivan Vasilyevich Edel after baptism — a German-born architect and civil counselor in the Russian Empire. Edel left a lasting mark on Baku’s cityscape, designing some 20 buildings across the city.
This historical footprint offers a symbolic reminder: while an Armenian diplomatic mission in Baku might seem a distant prospect today, it is not without precedent.
