MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia welcomes Azerbaijan's decision to hand over 15 soldiers to Armenia in exchange for maps of minefields, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday.
"Azerbaijan handed over 15 military personnel to Armenia in exchange for maps of minefields. Long-awaited and wonderful news. We welcome such steps by the parties," Zakharova wrote on Telegram.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said earlier in the day that Baku released 15 detained Armenians in response to the handing by Yerevan of minefields maps.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh re-emerged in September of last year. A Russia-brokered trilateral declaration of ceasefire on November 10 put an end to the hostilities.