On 3 July, Azerbaijan handed over another 15 captured Armenian soldiers in exchange for land mine maps planted in the Fizuli and Zangilan regions.
“As a goodwill gesture, the Armenian side provided Azerbaijan with maps of minefields in the Fizuli and Zangilan regions. The Armenian government expresses its gratitude to the Russian Federation for its mediating role,” the statement of the Armenian government read. “We express our gratitude to Rustam Muradov, Commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent temporarily deployed in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, for his mediation services in the implementation of the humanitarian initiative to obtain mine maps. Obtaining mine maps will save the lives of tens of thousands of our citizens, including those involved in mine clearance, and will accelerate the implementation of reconstruction and rehabilitation projects initiated by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, in the liberated territories, as well as the process of returning of IDPs. As a humanistic step, the Azerbaijani side handed over to Armenia 15 people of Armenian origin, who were imprisoned by the court's verdict and the term of the imposed sentence has expired,” read the statement of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The OSCE Chairperson in Office Ann Linde as well as the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar welcomed the undertaken steps between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “Welcome the additional release of 15 Armenian detainees by Azerbaijan and Armenian release of maps of mines. Appreciative Russia mediation. Hope more confidence-building can pave the way for sustainable settlement under auspices of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” Linde stated. “Excellent news from Baku and Yerevan. Good that more Armenian detainees have been released. Important also that more mine maps have been exchanged to prevent Azerbaijan casualties,” said Klaar.
It should also be noted that the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas commented on the recent border incidents between the two countries, emphasizing that the organization won’t intervene. “We need to understand that the CSTO potential is applied only in case of aggression, attack. Here, we, in fact, deal with a border incident. Thank God, there are no casualties, no fires. This is a border incident, it must be solved, and we support the peaceful solution of the issue”, he said.
According to him, there is no escalation of the conflict and there is no need to talk about escalation of the situation now. “There is still a lot to do for solving the border issues, disputable moments, but they must be solved around the negotiation table”, he said. Zas also assured that the CSTO would always follow the situation in Armenia’s southern province of Syunik.
On 1 July, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry proposed Armenia to start bilateral discussions that could help settle the demarcation and delimitation of the state borders. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jehyun Bayramov that Armenian authorities should first abandon the revanchist rhetoric and hatred toward Azerbaijan. According to Bayramov, such an approach supported by the government and opposition groups in Armenia jeopardizes the fragile process of normalization in the region.
