Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Thursday as the two countries eye a lasting peace after years of conflict.
A statement by the Azerbaijani presidency on Wednesday said Aliyev and Pashinyan will meet as part of the ongoing peace process between the two Southern Caucasus neighbors. Armenia’s government also confirmed the meeting in a statement on Telegram, saying the talks will take place as Pashinyan embarks on a working visit to the Gulf nation. The statement added that Pashinyan is scheduled to meet with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s president, later Wednesday.
In March, Azerbaijan announced that a consensus had been reached on all articles of a peace agreement with Armenia. Baku originally proposed the peace deal after the Second Karabakh War. Among Baku's conditions for a peace deal are amendments to the Armenian Constitution that oppose Azerbaijan's sovereignty in Armenian-occupied areas and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan also seeks the dissolution of the Minsk Group.
The announcement came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope for a swift peace deal between the neighbors.
Aliyev and Pashinyan last met on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Albania in May. At the time, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Antonio Costa called for a prompt signature of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
