Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree to Build Trust in Joint Statement

Armenia and Azerbaijan have jointly announced measures to normalize relations and exchange prisoners of war, according to a statement released on Thursday. The two nations, long embroiled in a conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, have been engaged in peace talks mediated by the European Union, the United States, and Russia. Despite initial expectations for a peace agreement by the end of the year, progress in the talks has been limited.

In the recent joint statement, Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed their commitment to taking concrete steps to build confidence and reiterated their intention to normalize ties and sign a peace agreement. As part of this commitment, Baku will release 32 Armenian prisoners of war, while Yerevan will release two Azerbaijani servicemen.

The statement also indicated that discussions would continue regarding additional confidence-building measures in the near future, with a plea for international support. The agreements emerged from talks between Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan office and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev administration.

Armenia foreign ministry acknowledged a positive response to the offer from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to facilitate a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington.

The conflict reached a turning point when President Aliyev deployed troops to Karabakh on September 19, leading to a swift victory for Azerbaijan. The Armenian separatist forces, which had controlled Nagorno-Karabakh for three decades, surrendered after a single day of fighting. Azerbaijan triumph marked the resolution of the territorial dispute that had fueled two wars between the nations in 2020 and the 1990s, resulting in significant casualties on both sides.