Baku and Yerevan shake hands First results of direct negotiations

The Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia have released a joint statement.

Azertac presents the statement:

“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. Two countries reconfirm their intention to normalize relations and to reach a peace treaty based on respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Following the 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 the two countries.

Driven by the values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill, the Republic of Azerbaijan releases 32 Armenian military servicemen.

In its turn, driven by the values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill, the Republic of Armenia releases 2 Azerbaijani military servicemen.

As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Armenia supports the bid of the Republic of Azerbaijan to host the 29th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, by withdrawing its own candidacy. The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan do hope that the other countries within the Eastern European Group will also support Azerbaijan’s bid to host. As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Azerbaijan supports the Armenian candidature for Eastern European Group COP Bureau membership.

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue their discussions regarding the implementation of more confidence-building measures, effective in the near future and call on the international community to support their efforts that will contribute to building mutual trust between the two countries and will positively impact the entire South Caucasus region.”

Following negotiations between the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, guided by principles of humanism and as a goodwill gesture between the two nations, an agreement has been reached to release 32 individuals of Armenian origin by Azerbaijan and two Azerbaijani servicemen by Armenia.

The 32 individuals destined for return to Armenia, 26 of whom were arrested during anti-terror measures in the Hadrut direction in December 2020, with the remaining six detained at the border on different occasions, have already served the majority of their sentences.

Crucially, the released individuals do not and cannot include leaders of the so-called regime who committed war crimes and outrage on humanity against the Azerbaijani people, such as Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Ruben Vardanyan, as well as Vagif Khachaturyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan.

This step is a clear example of the importance the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev attaches to the people of Azerbaijan, the country's citizens and servicemen, and shares in the feelings of the relatives of those held in captivity. President Ilham Aliyev once again proved that he is the President of every Azerbaijani.

The agreement has been reached through direct negotiations between the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia with no involvement of the third country. This is further evidence that Azerbaijan and Armenia can forge the peace process ahead without mediators.