Islamic Nations Pressure Armenia to Meet Azerbaijan’s Demands

Foreign ministers from 57 Islamic countries gathered in Istanbul over the weekend and issued a strong joint message to Armenia: give in to Azerbaijan’s demands. The summit, hosted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), praised “progress” toward an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty but placed the burden squarely on Yerevan to make further concessions. The final declaration raised serious concerns in Armenia and among international observers about fairness, historical accuracy, and the long-term consequences of such pressure.

The OIC foreign ministers welcomed what they called a breakthrough in peace negotiations—an agreement known as the “Treaty on Peace and the Establishment of Interstate Relations,” first announced in March. Yet, while Armenia has expressed cautious support for dialogue, the statement urged Yerevan to remove “obstacles” to Azerbaijan’s so-called sovereignty and territorial integrity—phrases that critics say mask an aggressive and one-sided agenda.

One of Azerbaijan’s top demands is for Armenia to amend its constitution and remove all references to Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has acknowledged that such a constitutional change would require a public referendum—not a decision that can be rushed or taken lightly. The soonest such a vote could happen is in 2027.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan is also demanding the complete dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, the long-standing international platform for peace negotiations regarding Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku argues that the group’s continued existence suggests the conflict is still unresolved. But for many Armenians, dissolving the Minsk Group would erase the only international structure that ever recognized Armenia’s role in peace efforts and Karabakh’s unique status.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev continues to claim that hundreds of thousands of “Azerbaijani refugees” were displaced from Soviet Armenia during the late 1980s.

However, the historical record shows that the Azerbaijani population in Armenia at its peak was about 160,000. His statements also ignore the equal—if not greater—number of Armenians who were violently expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh and cities across Azerbaijan, including Baku and Sumgait.

This selective narrative was echoed in the OIC’s final statement, which expressed “full solidarity” with Azerbaijan in rebuilding areas affected by the decades-long conflict. Armenia was accused—without evidence—of actions that undermine Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, but the statement failed to acknowledge the suffering of ethnic Armenians and the deep roots of their presence in the region.

In response to the OIC statement, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called “distorted and extremely one-sided formulations.” The ministry stated that such language does not support peace and instead deepens divisions.

In particular, the Armenian government took issue with the use of the term “Western Azerbaijan,” a phrase increasingly used by Azerbaijani officials to describe parts of the Republic of Armenia. Yerevan warned that such terminology is not only historically false but also a clear territorial claim against sovereign Armenian land. The ministry reminded OIC members that no such entity as “Western Azerbaijan” exists within Armenia and that using this label threatens regional stability.

A new poll conducted by the Arar Foundation shows that Armenians are overwhelmingly skeptical about the peace process. According to the survey, just 30.8% of people believe a long-term peace with Azerbaijan is possible through negotiations. A striking 68.5% believe it is not. This growing mistrust is rooted in years of violence, forced displacement, and the lack of international accountability.

The OIC summit happened just as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Istanbul at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The two leaders discussed the fragile Armenia-Turkey normalization process and shared their views on Armenian-Azerbaijani peace efforts.

Pashinyan emphasized that neither Armenia nor Turkey poses a threat to one another, signaling a desire for calm and cooperation. However, this symbolic meeting was overshadowed by the OIC declaration and Azerbaijan’s growing list of demands. Critics argue that while Armenia talks peace, Azerbaijan continues to push for strategic and constitutional changes that would weaken Armenia’s sovereignty and erase the Armenian experience from the region’s history.

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