U.S. pledges strong support for South Caucasus peace efforts

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States welcomes the announcement by Armenia and Azerbaijan of the release of two Azerbaijani and thirty-two Armenian detainees, the Department of State said in a statement on Thursday, December 7.

“This commitment represents an important confidence building measure as the sides work to finalize a peace agreement and normalize relations,” the statement reads.

“We commend Azerbaijani President [Ilham] Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan for their joint efforts to lay the groundwork for a more peaceful and prosperous future for the people of the South Caucasus.”

The Department of State said the United States will continue to strongly support efforts to reach a durable and dignified peace.

In the statement published on Thursday, Armenia and Azerbaijan said “there is a “historical chance” to achieve a long-awaited peace in the region and reconfirmed their intention to normalize relations and reach a peace treaty on the basis of respect for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

According to the document, Azerbaijan will release 32 Armenian servicemen, while Armenia will release 2 Azerbaijani soldiers – one of whom was charged with murder after he killed an employee of the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine.

“As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Armenia supports the bid of the Republic of Azerbaijan to host the 29th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, by withdrawing its own candidacy. The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan do hope that the other countries within the Eastern European Group will also support Azerbaijan’s bid to host. As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Azerbaijan supports the Armenian candidature for Eastern European Group COP Bureau membership,” the statement went on to say.

“The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue their discussions regarding the implementation of more confidence building measures, effective in the near future and call on the international community to support their efforts that will contribute to building mutual trust between two countries and will positively impact the entire South Caucasus region.