The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are scheduled to meet on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to advance peace talks between the two countries. This meeting follows recent optimism from the United States about reaching a quick agreement.
Baku and Yerevan have a long history of conflict over the Karabakh region. In 2023, Azerbaijan launched a rapid offensive, retaking Karabakh and causing over 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee the area. The tension has lasted for decades.
Earlier this year, both sides agreed on the text of a comprehensive peace deal in March. However, Azerbaijan has since presented several demands, including changes to Armenia’s constitution to remove territorial claims over Karabakh, delaying the signing.
On Wednesday, the Armenian government confirmed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Abu Dhabi as part of the ongoing peace process. The Azerbaijani presidency issued a matching statement.
This announcement came a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that the two nations would reach a swift peace deal. The international community is keen on stability in the Caucasus region.
Aliyev and Pashinyan last met in May during the European Political Community summit in Albania. At that time, leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron urged both sides to finalize the peace agreement soon. The upcoming talks aim to move closer to that goal.