Azerbaijani, Russian foreign ministers discuss regional developments

ISTANBUL

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov spoke by phone on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the latest developments in the region.

“During the phone call, the existing cooperation agenda between Azerbaijan and Russia, the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the current situation in the region were discussed,” said Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry in a statement.

The statement said that Bayramov emphasized Azerbaijan’s commitment to an open dialogue on the reintegration of Armenian residents in the Karabakh region and its ongoing efforts to address the needs of the Armenian population in the country.

“It was underlined that actions have been taken to dismantle the illegitimate regime in Azerbaijani territories, withdraw Armenian military forces, and evacuate Armenian troops from Azerbaijani lands,” the statement added.

The statement also mentioned Baku’s determination to advance the peace process with Yerevan.

Lavrov and Bayramov also exchanged views on issues related to their countries, the statement added.

Last week, in the wake of provocations by Armenian forces in Karabakh, Azerbaijan said it had launched "counter-terrorism" activities in the region to uphold a 2020 trilateral peace agreement with Russia and Armenia. After 24 hours, a cease-fire was reached.

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

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.