Armenia, Azerbaijan hold border talks amidst stalled peace efforts

Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed discussions over their shared border on Thursday, according to Armenian officials. The normalisation talks between the two nations had hit a roadblock after Baku reclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian separatists. The prolonged conflict between Baku and Yerevan over control of Azerbaijan’s formerly Armenian-populated Karabakh region has persisted for decades, with Baku regaining control in a swift offensive in September. Despite internationally-mediated peace talks, a breakthrough has yet to be achieved. Both countries’ leaders expressed optimism about signing a comprehensive peace deal by the year’s end. However, the peace process faced setbacks when Azerbaijan declined meetings mediated by the European Union and the United States, accusing them of favoring Armenia. On Thursday, the “commissions on border delimitation” of Armenia and Azerbaijan, led by Armenian Vice Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Azerbaijani counterpart Shahin Mustafayev, commenced their fifth round of talks at the Ijevan-Gazakh sector of the state border, according to Grigoryan’s spokesperson Ani Babayan, reported AFP. Last week, Azerbaijan expressed readiness for direct bilateral negotiations with Armenia to expedite the peace agreement. The military operation on September 19 saw Azerbaijan reclaiming Karabakh from Armenian separatists who had controlled the region for three decades, resulting in a significant exodus of the Armenian population and a subsequent refugee crisis. With inputs from agencies