Armenia and Azerbaijan working on final peace agreement, prisoner exchange first step

(Patria) - Armenia and Azerbaijan say they will move towards normalizing relations and will exchange prisoners captured during fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, the BBC reported.

In a joint statement released on Thursday evening, the two countries said they see a "historic chance" for a "long-awaited peace" and hope to sign a peace agreement by the end of the year.

The sides say they will work on signing a peace agreement based on mutual respect for territorial integrity.

Baku is releasing 32 Armenian military personnel, and Yerevan is releasing two soldiers, as a "gesture of goodwill".

Other moves include Armenia supporting Azerbaijan's bid to host the COP29 climate summit by withdrawing its own bid. Azerbaijan has agreed to support Armenia's bid for a regional group associated with climate negotiations.

The two countries have also called on the international community to support their efforts.

The agreement was reached during talks between the office of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the administration of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.