Azerbaijan's Aliyev, Armenia's Pashinyan hold talks on peace agenda

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, an Azerbaijani presidency statement said.

The leaders discussed the peace agenda between Baku and Yerevan and underlined the importance of constructive dialogue, mutual trust, and regional stability.

They highlighted the “positive dynamics” achieved during the recent Washington Summit, which reaffirmed international support for advancing peace and normalization efforts, the statement added.

Aliyev and Pashinyan agreed to maintain contacts as part of the ongoing process.

Last month, Azerbaijan and Armenia released the text of the peace agreement they initialed at a trilateral summit hosted by US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC.

The 17-point document confirmed mutual recognition of borders along former Soviet Union lines, renunciation of territorial claims, and a pledge to refrain from the use of force.

It also laid out commitments to establish diplomatic ties, negotiate border delimitation, and set up a bilateral commission to oversee implementation.

Both sides agreed to withdraw mutual claims in international courts once the deal enters into force.

The agreement followed decades of hostilities, including wars since the late 1980s and the 2023 conflict, when Azerbaijan restored control over Karabakh.