ISTANBUL

Russia welcomes direct talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia held in the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi aimed at reaching a peace deal after years of conflict, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan began talks in the Gulf nation, and agreed to continue bilateral engagements.

“We, of course, welcome the fact of such direct dialogue, and we have repeatedly said at various levels that we would welcome the earliest possible signing of a peace treaty,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists at a press briefing in Moscow.

Peskov said a peace agreement between the two neighbors will be an important factor that will add “predictability, stability and peace to the region,” and that Moscow supports the ongoing process.

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 an agreement has yet to be signed.

Ukraine peace talks

Concerning the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Peskov said he does not think the negotiations have stalled, but added that Moscow still needs to wait for "some" signals from Kyiv on a third round of talks.

"We have repeatedly said that it would be preferable for us to achieve the goals that are before us by peaceful and diplomatic means," Peskov said.

He said Russia's military actions in Ukraine continue until this happens, arguing that "realities on the ground are changing every day."

Russia and Ukraine held two rounds of direct talks in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul — first in over three years — in May and June, respectively, which led to major prisoner swaps but not a permanent ceasefire.