Azerbaijan, Armenia agree to normalize relations

ISTANBUL (AA) – The presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia reaffirmed their commitment to a comprehensive normalization of Baku-Yerevan relations, said a joint statement released after trilateral talks in Russia’s Sochi on Monday.

The joint statement shared on the official website of the Russian Presidency said that all parties agreed on the importance of creating a positive dialogue atmosphere between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the launching of trilateral inter-parliamentary contacts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that parties could not agree on everything concerning Karabakh. He added that some parts had to be removed from the text “previously worked out at the level of specialists.”

He later said Moscow will do everything for a final settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

During the trilateral talks, the three leaders also agreed to refrain from the use or threat of force to discuss. They also agreed to resolve issues “solely on the basis of mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, in accordance with the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991,” the statement further says.

Earlier, Putin held separate talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

This September, deadly clashes on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border near Karabakh claimed nearly 300 lives.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

In fall 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Baku liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation.