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.

Armenian and Azerbaijani officials said on Thursday that they had agreed the text of a peace agreement to end nearly four decades of conflict between the South Caucasus countries, a sudden breakthrough in a fitful and often bitter peace process.

A day after arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan announced they were ready to sign a long-awaited peace treaty, scepticism ran high Friday among Yerevan residents, while cautious optimism prevailed in Baku.