2023-12-08 00:43:33
In the South Caucasus, the two hostile neighboring countries Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged captured soldiers a few months after the latest escalation. Azerbaijan is releasing 32 Armenians and Armenia is releasing two Azerbaijanis, both sides said in a joint statement on Thursday.
It was a step intended to strengthen mutual trust in order to normalize relations between states, it said. Both sides also expressed their intention to conclude a peace treaty in the future. However, no details were given.
Armenia and Azerbaijan were both once part of the Soviet Union and have been fighting for decades, particularly over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Although this is located on Azerbaijani territory, until recently it was predominantly inhabited by Karabakh Armenians.
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In September, authoritarian-led Azerbaijan attacked and quickly captured the area. Since then, more than 100,000 residents have fled to Armenia. Just a few weeks ago, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed fears that Azerbaijan could plan further attacks on Armenian territory.
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