Azerbaijan, Armenia confirm bilateral talks ‘most efficient’ format in normalization process

Baku and Yerevan on Thursday confirmed that bilateral talks represent the "most efficient" format in their ongoing normalization process, as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held talks in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

A press release by Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry following the talks in Abu Dhabi said that the talks addressed various aspects of the normalization agenda between the two Southern Caucasus neighbors.

"It was confirmed that bilateral negotiations represent the most efficient format to address all issues concerning the normalization process, and on this basis, it was agreed to continue such result-oriented dialogue," the statement said.

It further said that Aliyev and Pashinyan took note of the progress made in the ongoing border delimitation process, noting that they instructed their delegations to continue practical work on this.

It also said that both sides agreed to continue bilateral negotiations and confidence-building measures, adding that Aliyev and Pashinyan thanked UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his warm hospitality and organizing the meeting.

An identical statement was also released by the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

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.

On March 13, Baku and Yerevan declared that they had reached a consensus on all 17 articles of a peace deal, though the deal has yet to be signed.