The governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia announced tangible steps in the implementation of confidence-building measures between them as a step towards the normalisation of relations between them “and the achievement of a peace treaty based on respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
The two sides also agreed to exchange prisoners. A full statement issued by the Azerbaijani presidential administration and the office of the Armenian prime minister said:
“The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan share the view that there is a historical chance to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region. The two countries reconfirm their intention to normalize relations and to reach the peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Following talks between the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, an agreement has been reached on taking tangible steps towards building confidence between two countries.”
September’s Azerbaijani military campaign in Nagorno-Karabakh ended three decades of ethnic Armenian domination of the territory and forced most of its 120,000 residents to leave the region, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.
Before Thursday’s statement, the two countries had argued fiercely over plans for a peace process amid mutual mistrust.
The statement said Baku would release 32 Armenian prisoners of war and Yerevan would release two Azerbaijani soldiers, in line with agreements reached during talks between the office of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the administration of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The two countries also said they would “continue discussions on the implementation of additional confidence-building measures effective in the near future and call on the international community to support their efforts.”
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said Yerevan “responded positively to the proposal of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to organise a meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington”.
European Council President Charles Michel called the developments “a major breakthrough in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations”, while the US welcomed the statement and the prisoner exchange.
