In a significant stride towards easing tensions, neighboring adversaries Armenia and Azerbaijan, long-term enemies, swapped prisoners of war on Wednesday. Baku freed 32 Armenian soldiers and Yerevan released two Azerbaijani military personnel, as per the Azerbaijani Commission for Prisoners of War. The exchange transpired in the Gasakh district on the shared Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan listed the 32 liberated Armenians on Facebook.
The Azerbaijani Commission declared that the Armenian soldiers were surrendered to Armenia after the International Committee of the Red Cross concluded their health assessment positively.
This prisoner exchange marked a significant moment in the peace process between the two nations, following a diplomatic breakthrough last week. Armenia and Azerbaijan announced their intentions to pursue trust-building measures and normalize relations, culminating in the exchange of prisoners. In November, Yerevan reported 55 Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan, including six civilians.
Insight: Ongoing Peace Efforts
Peace negotiations and prisoner exchange plans between Armenia and Azerbaijan are evolving as follows:
- Prisoner Swaps: Russian peacekeepers facilitated the recent exchange of 12 Azerbaijani and 44 Armenian prisoners, enforcing ceasefire agreements after the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh.
- Border Village Agreement: Armenia has agreed to return four abandoned villages to Azerbaijan, setting the stage for border definitions between the two nations.
- Peace Process Revival: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is advocating for the reinvigoration of the peace process, proposing alternative versions of the Zangezur corridor and seeking to resolve unaddressed issues in international courts.
Read Further:
This prisoner exchange not only signified a step forward in the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan but also demonstrated their commitment to taking further steps towards building trust and reaching a peace agreement.
