UN welcomes conclusion of peace talks between Azerbaijan, Armenia

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed announcements by Azerbaijan and Armenia that they have concluded negotiations on a draft peace agreement.

"He (Guterres) is encouraged by the progress made by the parties towards normalization of relations and strongly supports their efforts to resolve all outstanding issues in the interest of long-term peace in the region," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

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

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and demarcation talks.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh after separatist forces in the region surrendered.