Armenia and Azerbaijan Advance Peace Process and Trade
Armenian and Azerbaijani officials signal readiness to deepen peace efforts as the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly notes the resumption of direct trade between the nations.
Armenian Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan stated that Azerbaijan is demonstrating a practical readiness to deepen the peace process. Simonyan noted that both nations have agreed to continue working on unresolved issues, including the fate of missing persons and detainees, and emphasized the necessity of shifting societal attitudes after 30 years of conflict.
In Baku, Pere Joan Pons Sampietro, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, met with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. Sampietro characterized peace as becoming tangible for both societies, citing the initialing of a peace agreement and the resumption of direct trade between Armenia and Azerbaijan for the first time in over three decades.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov identified the ongoing danger of landmines and the need to determine the fate of nearly 4,000 missing Azerbaijanis as critical humanitarian priorities for the post-conflict period.