- UK Conservatives assemble to find a new leader and future direction
- Bike apprenticeship helps break UK reoffending cycle
- N. Korea players celebrate U20 World Cup victory in Pyongyang
- 101 dead in Nepal floods after relentless monsoon rains
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- The three contenders vying for power in Austrian election
- Austrians to vote with far-right in sight of historic win
- Messi scores but Miami held to draw again
- Sititi can shine for All Blacks in Europe: Robertson
- 'Historic achievement': Futsal World Cup journey inspires Afghans
- Florida island starts long clean-up after Hurricane Helene
- Mexico's Sheinbaum to take reins of nation facing huge challenges
- Bollywood's 'King Khan' steals show at Indian film awards
- Venezuela opposition marks two months since disputed vote
- Tom Kim complains of cursing at emotional Presidents Cup
- Buhai closes strong to take LPGA NW Arkansas Championship lead
- 'Partial peace' with Armenia not an option, Azerbaijan says at UN
- USA grabs 11-7 lead entering last day at Presidents Cup
- Broken fingers could sideline Yankees' Rizzo as playoffs start
- Monaco celebrate centenary with late win to join PSG top of Ligue 1
- New Jersey gets final as FIFA unveil Club World Cup venues
- Rovanpera outpaces Evans in the fog for Chile lead
- Camara snatches late win as Monaco move level with PSG in Ligue 1
- Flick takes 'blame' as Osasuna halt Barca's perfect start
- UK lawmaker quits Labour Party over PM's 'hypocrisy'
- Osasuna dismantle Barca's perfect Liga start
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Israel kills Hezbollah chief in Beirut strike
- Kane limps off as frustrated Bayern held by Leverkusen
- Springboks wore Pumas down with 'slow poison', says Erasmus
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- Ukraine says 10 killed in Russian strikes on hospital
- Bayern boss Kompany hopeful Kane will bounce back for Villa clash
- Kane injured as Bayern and Leverkusen draw in Bundesliga
- US grabs 8-6 lead after Saturday four-balls at Presidents Cup
- Liverpool go top of Premier League after Man City held by Newcastle
- Salah sinks Wolves as Liverpool go top
- Revived Vlahovic shoots Juve top with double at fan-less Genoa
- Arteta happy with Arsenal's cool heads in late Leicester win
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Progress on high seas treaty, but change still far off
- Hundreds rally in France in defence of abortion rights
- Seven-try South Africa crush Argentina to become champions
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- Russia's Lavrov warns Europe against 'suicidal escapade' in fiery speech
- Embattled Netanyahu buoyed by Hezbollah chief's killing: analysts
- Man City held without Rodri as Palmer's four-goal haul fires Chelsea
- Chelsea's Palmer hits four first-half goals to beat Brighton
- Hashem Safieddine: possible successor to Hezbollah chief Nasrallah
'Partial peace' with Armenia not an option, Azerbaijan says at UN
A "partial peace" with Armenia is not a possibility, Azerbaijan's foreign minister said Saturday at the UN General Assembly's annual gathering, after Yerevan offered a more optimistic message.
The two former Soviet republics had seen decades of war and tension over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway ethnic Armenian region in Azerbaijan.
After a series of slow-moving negotiations, Azerbaijan rushed in troops last year and swiftly seized back the area, whose entire population of nearly 120,000 people fled to Armenia.
"Partial peace is not an option after so much pain and suffering inflicted by... territorial claims against neighbors," Jeyhun Bayramov told the gathering, insisting in particular on a change to Armenia's constitution, which refers to "reunification" with Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan's lightning offensive last year unfolded during the high-level UN meetings in New York, sparking disbelief and chagrin among Western diplomats, especially US and French officials who had been deeply involved in mediation efforts.
On Thursday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said peace with Azerbaijan "not only is possible, but is within reach."
Azerbaijan and Armenia both say that 80 percent of a treaty is ready, including border delineation, but Azerbaijan first wants a resolution of all issues.
In his UN address, Pashinyan said he was ready to meet the Baku government's key demand of allowing transportation access across Armenian soil to the exclave of Nakhchivan, letting Azerbaijan connect its main territory with its traditional ally Turkey.
Pashinyan insisted that Azerbaijan and Armenia should sign the draft treaty immediately, explaining, "There is no precedent of a peace agreement or any agreement that would regulate and solve everything."
But on Saturday, Bayramov said any finalization of a deal would require Armenia to "legally abandon territorial claims against Azerbaijan once and for all through implementing constitutional amendments" so Baku's territorial integrity would not be in "legal limbo."
He also accused Yerevan of making a "dramatic increase" in its military budget and acquiring a "large amount of offensive weaponry from both traditional and new suppliers."
Bayramov nevertheless acknowledged "significant progress" in efforts by the neighbors to normalize relations, calling for "expeditious steps" to complete the process "at this critical moment."
Any changes to Armenia's constitution must be done through a referendum, a long and uncertain process. Western diplomats said they saw the request as a way for Baku to ask for the impossible to avoid signing a deal.
Potentially adding to momentum for a deal is COP29, the annual UN climate change talks that bring together officials from across the world, which will take place in the Azerbaijani capital Baku in November.
The international community is applying added pressure on Baku to reach an agreement before COP29.
J.Horn--BTB