But hurdles remain. Azerbaijan also said Armenia’s constitution must “eliminate the claims against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” as a prerequisite to allow for the signing of the peace treaty.

The two South Caucasus nations, former Soviet states, have fought multiple wars since the 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnically Armenian region broke away from Azerbaijan.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on a finalised draft peace agreement wirh Azerbaijan in a phone call, the Armenian government said on Friday.