Armenia-Azerbaijan, the neighboring countries of the Caucasus have been embroiled in a protracted dispute for decades regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, which the former regained following a swift attack against separatists from Armenia in September.
Although representatives from both nations have stated that a peace deal might be achieved by year’s end, little has happened in the peace negotiations, which are being independently mediated by Russia, the US, and the EU.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the two parties decided to take advantage of “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,” stated the statement.
According to the announcement, Yerevan would release two Azerbaijani personnel and Baku will release 32 Armenian prisoners of war.
The statement between Azerbaijan and Armenian
“Republics Armenia and Azerbaijan agree that the area has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring about much-needed peace. In a statement, the two nations reaffirm their commitment to upholding the values of territorial integrity and sovereignty as the foundation for their normalization of relations and eventual peace treaty. The breakthrough resulted from discussions between the prime minister of Armenia and the president of Azerbaijan.
The statement states, “Tangible steps towards building confidence between two countries have been agreed upon.”
As the two nations strive toward a peace deal, the prisoner swap, according to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, represents “an important confidence building measure.”
Miller issued a statement saying, “We applaud Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, and Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister of Armenia, for their collaborative efforts to lay the foundation for a more peaceful and prosperous future for the people of the South Caucasus.”
“Efforts to achieve a lasting and dignified peace will continue to receive strong support from the United States.”
The two nations additionally stated that they “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” .
The agreements were made during negotiations between the government of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and the office of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia.
Yerevan “responded positively to the offer of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to organise the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of both countries in Washington,” according to the foreign ministry of Armenia.
Delighted to welcome a major break through in 🇦🇲- 🇦🇿 relations as they issue a joint statement.
Welcome in particular release of detainees and unprecedented opening in political dialogue.
Establishing and deepening bilateral dialogue between sides has been a key objective of…
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) December 7, 2023
In a social media post on Thursday, EU Council President Charles Michel hailed the declaration, referring to it as a “key step”.
“Delighted to welcome a major breakthrough in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations as they issue a joint statement”.
The Armenia and Azerbaijan dispute
Although the majority of Nagorno-Karabakh’s territory was governed by ethnic Armenians under the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), from the end of the first Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1994 until the announcement of the republic’s impending dissolution in September 2023, the territory is recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan.
Regarding the region’s disputed status, representatives from the two sides engaged in multiple fruitless peace negotiations facilitated by the OSCE Minsk Group. Over time, the majority-Armenian population of Artsakh has alternately supported independence from both states and integration into Armenia.
With the invasion in Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding areas, a new conflict began on September 27, 2020.
During the conflict, Azerbaijan achieved notable victories, taking back all of the seized areas surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh and taking control of Shusha and Hadrut, which make up one-third of the region.
A trilateral ceasefire deal between these two nations and Russia brought an end to the war on November 10, 2020, and saw the formal return of the remaining occupied territory surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani sovereignty.
The Republic of Artsakh turned into a reclusive rump state, with just a small, under Russian control corridor connecting it to Armenia.
Following several months of blockade, Azerbaijan started a massive military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, 2023. The swift disintegration of Artsakh forces led to an Azerbaijani triumph, the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh, the mass migration of nearly all Armenians from the area, and the arrival of Azerbaijani security forces in Stepanakert, the former capital of Artsakh (Khankendi).
Thus, this conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is decades old, however, with both countries agreeing to normalise ties and releasing prisoners of wars, there are high hopes about the fire dousing soon in the caucasus region.
